Light In Darkness
by XxCREDDIECHANNYxX
Summary: After receiving Mickey's message in a bottle, Sora, Riku, Donald and Goofy head out to take on a new quest that involves even more dangerous enemies than they expected.
1. Light In Darkness

Light in Darkness

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or any of the characters mentioned in this story except for the mysterious person mentioned later on in the story. They all belong to Square Enix and Disney.**

**Please Rate and Review! **

Sora watched the stars from his bedroom window. The sky was filled to the brim with them. A lonesome shooting star had just crossed the sky headed in the direction of the horizon. A small smile lit up on Sora's face as he recalled the time when he couldn't have enjoyed the simple things as just watching the night sky what with his constant time out trying to save all those worlds from being devoured by the darkness.

_Why is it that whenever I get some time to enjoy myself, the worlds end up getting into trouble again?_

Sora shook his head when he spotted Donald and Goofy out sitting down on the pier, them too looking out at the stars. Apparently, Mickey had already sent them down here a day after Sora had received the message in a bottle. It had been almost a week since they had received it and had a bit of time to visit their parents, friends, and their old hiding place. But, now they had to leave again. The only exception was that this time, Destiny Islands wasn't being devoured by darkness.

Donald and Goofy were whispering a bit too quietly. It was only 7:00 P.M. after all. Everybody was still awake. Sora quickly swung his feet out through the window and landed onto the sand. He slunk his way over and positioned himself under the pier, far yet close enough to be able to hear the conversation going on between Donald and Goofy.

"Boy, am I going to miss Daisy again," Donald sighed.

"Aw, don't worry Donald, you'll see her again. You always do," Goofy reassured him.

"Yeah, but this isn't going to be so easy like the first time," Donald swayed his feet around nervously.

" How do you know that?" Goofy asked.

"Well, um, I overheard King Mickey saying that we had to include another person in with us on our quest. And that, that person was going to be our only salvation in the end. If, we don't manage to lose them or have their heart be stolen away by the heartless," Donald murmured.

"You don't say. Well, don't worry Donald. I'm sure that person will be in good hands once they team up with us. Why, we never lost Sora. We all always stuck around with each other," Goofy said, trying to cheer up Donald.

"Well, I hope so Goofy. I hope so," Donald said.

Sora slowly made his way back over to his window and climbed back into his room. Who really was this person that was meant to join them on their quest again? And why were they so necessary as to be the one to come to their salvation in the end?

_How would Donald be so sure that, that person would save us in the end? What if they were really our doom in the end? I probably should explain this to Riku on our way to Disney Castle tomorrow._

"Sora! Dinner's ready!" Sora's mom hollered.

"Coming!" he answered back.

Sora pulled his door open and ran down to meet the delicious aroma of his mom's home-made spaghetti.

**Who really is this mysterious person? Is it a boy or a girl or maybe a Disney character, perhaps? It will be revealed in Chapter 2, so keep reading! And rate and review, please! **

**P.S. I really can't wait for Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance to come out in the U.S. in English!**


	2. Facing A New Ally

Facing a New Ally

**As always I do not own any of the characters mentioned in this story. They all belong to Square Enix and Disney. I only own the mysterious character that is revealed in the story. Enjoy! And please, rate and review!**

The bright sun filtered in through Sora's window. He brought up his hand to shield his eyes as he began to get used to the rays of the sun. He got up and opened up his window. Sora breathed in the fresh ocean breeze. He glanced out to see the palm trees swaying in the breeze, the ocean sparkling in the sun as if it contained small diamonds, and the sand shine with the reflection of seashells. He sighed.

_I hope I can come back and be able to see this again soon enough. And if I don't, at least I'll carry this last beautiful remnant of Destiny Islands along with me._

As Sora was preparing himself for the trip over to Disney Castle, Riku was pondering in his own bed about what the whole message in a bottle thing meant. King Mickey had written that it was urgent that they meet back at Disney Castle to discuss the new problems that had just arrived at new and visited worlds. He also said that it was of utter importance that they were to be ready for anything that would come crossing their paths because it was going to be one heck of a ride for him, Sora, Donald, and Goofy. He rubbed his eyes lazily and gazed out of his bedroom window. (**AN: Sora lives by the beach while Riku lives in town) **Many early risers were already working at their stations, others, like him, had just barely woken up and were now getting ready for another day, and kids about his age and younger, were on their way to school.

**_I wish I was in their shoes. Living a normal life, never having to worry about the darkness that probably wanted to devour my heart or my existential guilt about how everything was my fault to begin with yet nobody believes me._**

Riku just sighed. Once he cleaned up, had some breakfast, and readied his stuff, he saw Kairi walking towards Sora's house.

"Hey Kairi! Wait up!" Riku ran up to catch up with her.

"Oh, hi Riku! You're going to Sora's house, too?" she asked, putting her hair behind one ear.

"Yeah. I was just headed there, you know because of the-"

"I know. Because King Mickey asked for both of you again and you just couldn't say no or else the worlds would've been swallowed into darkness again right?" she interrupted.

"Pretty much. Came to say goodbye?" he replied.

"No. I wanted to wish you guys luck and not to say goodbye because saying goodbye is like saying you will never see that person again. I just came to say that I hope that I will get to see you both soon," she smiled.

"Thanks for the luck but I'm pretty sure Sora will need it more than I will," Riku pointed over to Sora's house. Both he and Kairi could see Sora getting smothered by his mom telling him that she did not want to see his baby get his heart taken away by the heartless, or worse, do something reckless in which he stabs himself with a keyblade giving up his own life to save someone else's.

"Mom! I told everything's going to be fine!" Sora reassured his mom.

"I know that! But what I don't want happening is that you end up turning into one of those creatures or worse…." Sora's mom burst into fresh, new tears.

"Mom, look. Like I said before, I have friends that have my back and I have theirs and neither they nor I will let anything happen," Sora consoled his mom.

"I just want you to return back safe and sound," she cried. Sora pulled his mom in for a hug and then squeezed both of her hands in his.

"Don't worry, mom. I promise to come back. And remember, I always keep my promises," Sora gave his mom one last hug and started to head in the direction of the beach where the gummi ship had been parked earlier in the week. He then noticed Kairi and Riku giggling to themselves and blushed slightly. His mom had seen them too and gave an evil look towards Kairi. Sora had told his mom EVERYTHING that had happened in the year and a half that had gone by when he was gone and she had disliked Kairi ever since. Kairi immediately stopped laughing and put her head down. Riku just waved and started pushing her in the direction of the gummi ship.

"C'mon guys! We don't have all day! King Mickey must be frustrated!" Donald called out to them.

Sora and Riku began to run towards the gummi ship until Kairi pulled both of their arms back.

"Ouch!" Sora and Riku yelped simultaneously.

"Look guys. I know that I wasn't called forth to fight too but I just wanted to wish you guys both good luck and to give you these," Kairi snuck something into both of their hands.

They were two lucky charms that looked exactly like Kairi's only tweaked a bit differently. They were still made out of the same material only Sora's was painted a light blue with gold-tipped edges and riku's was a black with light red edges.

"Wow thanks Kairi, but you really didn't have to make these for us," Sora said, feeling a bit guilty.

"I know. I just wanted to let you both know that no matter what happens, you'll always have a piece of Destiny Islands still with you," she replied, a smile on her face.

"Well, all I know is that we will never forget, right Sora?" Riku nudged Sora.

"Yeah! No matter how much stuff gets in our way, we will always find our way back here," Sora said, a proud smile on his face.

Kairi then pulled them both in for a tight hug. Sora and Riku waved at Kairi one last time before boarding the gummi ship. Donald was in a fit, as always, while Goofy was trying to calm everyone down and teach them all about gummi ship security which they all had heard at least about a thousand times.

"Ok Sora let's get one thing straight," Riku said.

"What's that?" Sora asked, looking over to Riku.

"Kairi made my lucky charm look cooler," Riku smirked.

"No way! She made mine better!" Sora exclaimed.

And so, the two heroes kept bantering until Donald hollered at them to stop before they would bring the gummi ship down crashing on another world that was not Disney Castle which made them both quiet down. Once they had arrived, Chip and Dale escorted them through the gummi hangar and out through the Gardens. Mickey was at his desk reading over a few papers in the library while Minnie was scouring through the books trying to find one that deserved to be read.

"Your Majesty!" Sora, Riku, Donald, and Goofy said in unison while bowing.

"At ease, fellas!" Mickey got up from his desk and walked towards them.

"So, your Majesty, what is this quest all about?" Sora asked.

"Well, it's something you ought to sit down for," Mickey rubbed the back of his neck with his hand. Sora, Riku, Donald, and Goofy went to go sit down in the overly plush chairs positioned by the door for the avid reader.

"I think I shall go and tend to the Kingdom with Daisy. We must be getting ready for the Spring Ball," Minnie implied.

"Minnie, would you mind getting her? Please?" Mickey said.

"Oh, of course!" Minnie said, dashing off through the doors accompanied by a pair of magical brooms.

"Who is this she?" Donald asked.

"It's a long story. But as always it starts off after Riku and Sora defeated Xemnas," Mickey pulled a chair to sit in front of Riku, Sora, Donald, and Goofy.

"After that, I came back to Disney Castle, welcomed by Minnie, Chip, Dale, and all of my other friends, yet I was still a bit on edge. A girl, about Sora's age, had come up in a half destroyed gummi ship, seeking me out. She was immediately sent to the emergency room because she had very deep wounds in her arms and legs, I'm assuming from Heartless. Anyways, I decided to meet up with her there after she had been cured with a Curaga spell and had her wounds bandaged.

"She said that her world had been overrun by Heartless and that a guy who proclaimed himself to be ruler of them all, had come to her world specifically for her. She managed to get out but not before the so-called ruler had captured her mom, dad, and younger sister and turned into Nobodies. At first, I had my suspicions that she had some darkness left in her, but once I took her outside for a walk she didn't shy away from the sun, she embraced.

"Soon, though, the 'ruler' was out to get me because he had threatened to attack all the worlds that Sora had already saved and devour them in darkness again. That's why I needed Riku and Sora back here to join me and take care of the situation at hand and to also tell you of your new member," Mickey finished.

Sora and Riku pondered over this. How is it that they had to be joined by yet another person? Wasn't it enough to have to worry about each other, let alone a girl? They both shook their heads in unison, and were about to protest when the doors flew open.

"Go on, don't be shy," Minnie urged her in.

A girl, that was a bit shorter than Sora with light brown, curly hair, chocolate brown eyes and tan skin entered through the doors. She was wearing a white hospital robe that came out to her knees and white flip-flops. Her eyes darted shyly in between Sora and Riku. She had already seen Donald and Goofy before but seeing two actual human beings that were not the same gender as her was a lot to take in at once.

"Well, come on in! Don't be shy, they won't bite," Mickey said, gesturing her over to them. She quickly went to go sit by King Mickey in a chair that was kindly placed by one of the many broom servants. Riku and Sora both gawked at the girl.

_She's so beautiful. Now I see why we have to have her come along with us. Yet, we still have to make sure she's in good hands and try and save her parents and sister, and also her world._

**_She's really pretty. I wonder if she will be alongside us while we fight or be a spell caster like Donald, or a protector like Goofy._**

"What's your name?" Sora asked her, blushing a bit when she made eye contact with him.

" My name is Kailee. Nice to meet two, strong keyblade wielders."

**So, big shocker on the whole part that she has to go along with them all on their journey, right? Big spoiler: she is a keyblade wielder, a protector, and a spell caster! Who knew right? But, anyways, if you're confused, the italicized writing is Sora's thoughts and the italicized bold writing is Riku's thoughts. Please rate and review as always!**


	3. Making Amends

Making Amends

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters mentioned here. They all belong to Square Enix and Disney. The only character I do own is Kailee. Enjoy! Please Rate and Review!

"Nice to meet you Kailee, I'm Sora and this is Riku," Sora gestured to himself and Riku and extended his arm. Kailee took his hand and firmly shook it and Riku's too.

"So, is it true? About your parents and sister being captured?" Riku asked, hesitantly.

"Yes. But, I really would like to avoid that topic. How about we talk on how we are going to be able to go on this quest?" She directed the question towards Mickey.

"Right. Well, I was deciding that we first visit Yen Sid at the Mysterious Tower where he will judge if we are all able to fight and to which world we should head out to first," Mickey stated, getting up. "For now, I just need to get some things from the throne room. Why don't you tell more about life at Destiny Islands to Kailee?"

"Well, what would you like to know about Destiny Islands, Kailee?" Sora mused, once Mickey left.

"What are your parents like?" Kailee murmured looking both at Riku and Sora.

" They're, you know…." Sora was at a loss of words trying to think of how to describe his parents.

"They're both loving people who, no matter what happens in their lives, will always love us and never forget us," Riku stated, receiving a silent thank you from Sora.

"Really? Because I always thought that once you did something so horrible that changed your life erratically, that they would never find it in their power to ever forgive you," Kailee raised shiny, brown orbs to them.

"Well, that's not always true. They will forgive you, if you ask for forgiveness from both of them," Riku said.

"Yeah, and, like Riku said, they will always love you, no matter what," Sora put in, smiling a smile that could brighten up a full room.

Kailee gave a small chuckle. "I guess both of you are right. But, let's not dwell on my tragic past anymore. What's your island like?"

"I think I should let Sora take this one, since he claims himself the know-it-all on how the island works," Riku crossed both of his arms.

"I do not! But, I'll be glad to tell you all there is to know about Destiny Islands," Sora said, all out ecstatic.

Soon, they had been talking for over ten minutes about how everything was on Destiny Islands. Sora had mentioned on how the lifestyle there was pretty normal, even after it had been swallowed by darkness. He commented on how everyday, the sun would be shining, a cool, swift breeze would soften the sun's rays, and how the ocean would shine as if it contained a bunch of small diamonds in the sun. Also, how they barely managed to catch up with school, in which Sora managed to stare off into space most of the time in class, Riku put in. Plus, on how they met Kairi, who had appeared on their island when they were 4, Riku 5, and had given them each a lucky charm so they would have a safe journey and be able to return. Kailee was already laughing and smiling along with how Riku was mentioning a whole bunch of embarrassing stories about Sora while Sora kept blushing and trying to put in his own knowledge of Riku's own tragic tales.

" I can't believe that you, Riku, had actually managed to glue Sora to his own chair!" Kailee laughed, clutching her stomach.

"It wasn't so hard to do. He hardly even noticed until Kairi pointed out!" Riku laughed along with her.

"That wasn't funny! I had to rip off my pants just to be able to take the chair off of me!" Sora blushed, crossing his arms and sitting down lower in his chair.

"Oh come on Sora! Don't be such a downer. You got me good that one time when you changed out my shoes in the boy's locker room for ones filled with old fish guts! I had to walk around school with those all day! And, the stench still hasn't gone away!" Riku said, pointing out Sora's pranking traits.

"Oh yeah! That was a good one!" Sora said, bouncing back. Soon they all were in a laughing fit, including Donald and Goofy as they joined in on their misadventures throughout the years. Soon, though Mickey came bustling in a worried look on his face.

"Riku, Sora, Donald, Goofy, Kailee come quick! The Heartless are attacking the castle!"

**Wow! Will Kailee reveal her true self in battle? Keep reading please! And Rate and Review! **


	4. Giving Into Reality

Giving into Reality

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters mentioned. They all belong to Square Enix and Disney. I only own Kailee in this. I should also mention that this is also Riku/OC as well. Turns out, Mickey got his facts wrong, unfortunately. Kailee actually has a big sister who's a year older than her that she never really wanted to reveal because her big sister sided with the mysterious "ruler." Now, Kailee's 15, so her sister is 16. In that case, I will try to involve Kailee's big sister later on in the story. So, in this case, enjoy! Please rate and review! **

"How did they get in?" Donald exclaimed, on his feet.

"I don't know! I think someone from the inside brought them here! Probably from the dungeons!" Mickey said.

"Well, then what are we standing around for? Let's go!" Riku replied, already running through the double doors. Sora, Donald, Kailee, and Goofy quickly followed behind. Mickey led them all to the Kingdom's Garden where the Heartless had sprouted up more. Riku and Sora had already summoned up their keyblades and were wading through the Heartless already along with Donald and Goofy who were casting spells and throwing their shields at them. Kailee watched helplessly by the sidelines, hiding behind a bush.

I wish I could do something about this. But as always, I'm the one who can't do anything about what's already been done.

A Heartless figure had already sprouted up behind Kailee, creeping up behind her. Kailee had felt something in the ground because it had quivered a bit. She glanced back and gasped at the small yet lethal Heartless. It had its eyes set on where Kailee's heart rested. She began to back up, only to see that a ring of Heartless had formed around her. She tried to see if anybody would come and help her, but most of them had their own Heartless to fight, including King Mickey. The Heartless had stopped moving, all of them in a pouncing position.

I hope it'll be as quick and painless as how I saw many other people having their hearts stolen away in my world.

Kailee shut her eyes as the Heartless jumped on her and covered her completely.

"Kailee!" Sora yelled, the only one noticing her covered in Heartless. He tried to cross over to her but an Armored Knight had flung his sword at him and Sora couldn't help but fight back and have to watch Kailee being swallowed by the darkness. But then, a miracle happened. A burst of light had destroyed the Heartless that had covered Kailee and she had appeared, wildly different. Her hospital robe had disappeared, replaced by a strapless, red corset with black skinny jeans and red and black shoes. In her hand was a keyblade that had crescent waves covering the top part and sharp, jagged spikes on the bottom. The whole thing was an ocean color and her key chain was of Mickey Mouse's head. In the other hand was a shield that had both Sora's and Riku's keyblades crossed embalmed in blue and gold. Plus, her hair was being swept out by an invisible wind around her shoulders and her eyes had turned an electric blue.

She lashed out and began attacking every single Heartless that had dared to cross into her path and of everybody else's. Whole swarms of Heartless had formed around the edges of the garden and were coming at breakneck speed. Kailee dug her Keyblade into the center bush and muttered some incoherent words in which a bright light shot out from the Keyblade and spread out throughout the garden in which the light devoured the darkness and purified the Kingdom's Garden. Sora, Mickey, Riku, Donald and Goofy all were amazed and shocked. Who would've thought that a girl, so hopeless and broken on the inside, would amount to defeat a whole band of Heartless in only a few seconds?

"That…was…amazing!" Sora exclaimed. "How did you do that?"

Kailee looked on as she marveled at the weapons in her hands and at her change of clothing and at everyone's sudden and shocked faces. "I really don't know. When the Heartless were trying to get at my heart, all I could think about was my family and about all the good times we had together before the incident," she explained.

"That was still awesome! Now I know why King Mickey wanted you specifically to come with us," Sora said, turning to face King Mickey.

"Uh huh! Well, I think it's time we headed off now," Mickey stated, heading for the gummi ship hangar.

"Wait! Your Highness! Are you sure you want to leave Disney Castle unprotected?" Sora asked worriedly.

"Well, I already took care of that," Mickey reassured them. "I told Minnie that if any more Heartless spring up, that she take everyone and hide them in the Hall of the Cornerstone."

"That's good," Donald said, rubbing his neck.

"What are we waiting for? Let's go!" Sora said, enthusiastically.

"Alright then! On to Kingdom of Corona!" Mickey said.

**If any of you guys are confused about the Kingdom of Corona, it's where Rapunzel lives technically. So, I'm trying to use worlds that they've never visited before, so if you have any suggestions of worlds, please, don't be afraid to mention them! And keep reading! We'll eventually know who the ruler is, and I must say, the person won't come as a big surprise. So, anyways, keep reading! And please, rate and review! **


	5. Golden Tresses

Golden Tresses

First off, I want to say thanks for all of your reviews guys! They really help me to try and write a better story. To answer some of your questions, Kairi wasn't invited along because she doesn't have the potential to fight yet. Yeah, I get it that she fought against the Heartless and has her own keyblade and is a keyblade wielder etc. But, the Heartless have evolved MAJORLY in my story. They're no longer just Heartless and Nobodies. They're something much more than that.

**Sora's mom doesn't particularly like Kairi because she thinks that it was her fault that Sora had to lose his heart. Although, Sora's mom would've been sad about Kairi losing her heart, she still would've been fine as long as Sora was still alive. She can tolerate Riku because he eventually regretted his mistake and did everything in his power to get Sora to be his normal self again. She thinks that at least Riku did something to save Sora, unlike Kairi.**

**And I know Sora seemed kind of OOC but that's because it's usually what he's THINKING. You can hardly see any of that whole " Wow, I'm going to try and make her mine" stuff on his face or in his eyes. That's what the whole point of the adventure is. He's supposed to like her over time and she in return.**

Hope that cleared up some things! I do not any of the characters! They're all from either Square Enix or Disney. Please Rate and Review!

Once they were all seated in the gummi ship, Mickey turned around from the driver's seat, a serious expression on his face.

"Alright, guys. The enemies here are much more powerful than the Heartless and Nobodies. They somehow can use both light and darkness at the same time," Mickey stated. "We have to be more careful about where we go and who we go with."

"How do they use the light and dark at the same time?" Riku asked.

"Some of them can actually help you, but others are downright evil. Especially, if they use both light and dark. Mostly because they seem to be wanting to help, but can turn of you just as easily," Mickey responded. "So remember, always stick with your senses and each other."

Mickey turned back around and started to flick on the gummi ship. Kailee was clutching her armrests until her knuckles turned white. She was completely terrified. She didn't want to have to face those things again. Even though, she tried to keep herself composed, inside, she was dying to crawl under a rock. Sora and Riku had noticed at the same time and had both placed their hands on hers. She turned her head to look at both of them to see that they had reassuring looks on their faces.

She gave them a silent thank you and managed to relax.

_I hope to try and reunite her with her parents and sister, soon. For now, we all have to stick together._

_I wonder how we're supposed to find her parents and sister if she doesn't know herself. In any case, we'll try everything we can to save them._

After an hour of flying, they landed up on a mountain that overlooked on a tower and a great expanse of a forest. A path had already been set that led from where they were to the edge of the tower. King Mickey was in the lead with Kailee, Sora, Riku, Donald and Goofy trailing behind. A great yell was heard from the tower. Everybody hid behind trees to watch the scene unfold.

A man with scruffy, brown hair, probably in his late teens early twenties, and a very small goatee was climbing down the tower with arrowheads. He was wearing a jean vest with white sleeves, brown pants and boots, and a small pouch around his waist. His face was showing boredom and a bit of annoyance.

"You comin' blondie?" the man yelled up to the tower. After a minute or two, a long expanse of blonde, shiny hair came flying out of the tower. A girl, probably the same age a s the man, came sliding down the enormous shaft of hair. She was squealing in excitement and had a huge smile on her face. She came up short when she almost landed on the grass. Her eyes showed a hint of fear as she stared down at the grass. She slowly put her foot down and then both. She started jumping up and down with the same smile on her face.

Suddenly, she broke out into song.

"Just smell the grass! The dirt! Just like I dreamed they'd be!

Just feel that summer breeze, the way it's calling me

For like the first time ever, I'm completely free!

I could go running, and racing, and dancing, and chasing

And leaping, and bounding, hair flying, heart pounding

And splashing, and reeling, and finally feeling..." she sang, running into the forest. The man rolled his eyes and followed her. Mickey, Donald, Goofy, Sora, Riku and Kailee went to follow them as well.

"That's when my life begins!" the girl finished, birds fluttering around her.

"I can't believe I did this! I can't believe I did this. I can't believe I did this!" she laughed.

Riku, Sora, Donald, Goofy, Kailee and King Mickey exchanged looks.

"Should we keep following them?" Riku whispered.

"We should at least follow them until it's the right time. It looks like she hasn't been out very often," Mickey said. Everyone nodded and began to follow the strange girl and man. (**AN: I'm saying girl instead of woman because Rapunzel acts kind of like a girl still in this part of the story.)** After the girl had numerously punished and congratulated herself, the man had told her how even though she might've broken her mom's heart like a grape, she still had to do it. After he tried to console the girl to go back to her tower, she threatened him with, what looked to be, a frying pan.

"I can't take anymore of this," Donald said angrily. "I'm sorry Your Majesty but can we please already reveal ourselves?"

"Donald's right. We can't sneak around forever," Goofy put in.

"Alright, alright. But remember, no meddling in worldly affairs," Mickey finished.

After a bunny had seemingly crawled out of the bush that Mickey was hiding in, and briefly scared the girl, Mickey revealed himself.

"Is it a ruffian this time?" the girl jumped on the man again.

"No, uh, it's just some townsfolk that got lost in the woods. You see, we were looking for this rare fruit that only grows in the woods. The markets don't sell them in town," Mickey said. "Come on out, guys. We're ok." Sora, Riku, Donald and Goofy were the first to come out.

"Come on, Kailee. You, too," Mickey gestured with his hand. Kailee, shyly yet surely, came out, eyes wary.

"We're Mickey, Sora, Donald, Goofy, Riku, and Kailee," Mickey explained.

"Nice to meet you all. I'm Rapunzel!" Rapunzel said with a bright grin. "I've never seen such strange people, but then again I haven't been out much."

"I'm Flynn. Flynn Rider," Flynn said suspiciously. "Are you guys headed in our direction as well?"

"Yep. Would you care if we joined you?" Riku asked.

""No. Not all. In fact, I would love to hear about town," Rapunzel mentioned.

"Well, what do you want to know about?" Sora put his hands in his pocket.

"What's it like to live there?" Rapunzel placed her hands behind her back.

"It's full of life. Most of the time, there are a lot of festivals and celebrations," Mickey said.

"That sounds like a lot of fun! I can't wait to visit it!" Rapunzel said. "Isn't that right Flynn?"

"Yeah, sure. Whatever," Flynn stated, clearly bored. "I know it's around here, somewhere." As they rounded a corner, a building, covered almost entirely by a tree, appeared.

"Ah, there it is, the Snuggly Duckling," Flynn said, with a flourish. "Don't worry, very quaint place, perfect for you guys. Don't want Rapunzel getting scared and giving up on this whole endeavor now do we?"

"Well, I do like ducklings," Rapunzel said.

"Yay!" Flynn said, with clear, fake amusement.

Now how do you think the thugs will react to seeing, not only, Flynn and Rapunzel, but also Mickey, Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Kailee? Don't worry I will put in enemies later on, but for now I just want everyone to get familiarized with the Kingdom of Corona first. Don't be shy, and rate and review! And don't be afraid to put in some constructive criticism!

**P.S. The so-called "ruler" does have something to do with Xehanort! I won't tell but keep reading! **


	6. Wandering Whispers

Wandering Whispers

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters mentioned in the story. They either belong to Square Enix or Disney. I only own Kailee. Don't be shy, rate and review!

P.S. I'm not going to write the whole Tangled script. I'm probably going to stop at where Rapunzel and Flynn arrive at the Kingdom.

"Garcon, your finest table please!" Flynn called out, after opening the pub door. Rapunzel gasped at the sight.

"Cool!" Sora grinned, gazing around the place. Turned out that the Snuggly Duckling, wasn't so snuggly at all. The whole place was decked out in grotesque, looking chandeliers, mounted heads on the wall of recent game, a bar with three switches on it, and a peculiar smell that hinted at blood and dirt. The people there didn't seem so friendly either. They all had that criminal instinct on them as they gazed on at the curious group.

Flynn started to push Rapunzel in while the rest followed. "You smell that? Take a deep breath through the nose. Really let that seep in. What are you getting? Because to me, that's part man-smell, and the other part is really bad man-smell. I don't know why, but overall it just smells like the color brown. Your thoughts?"

"I think it smells like the color red actually?" Sora said, still mesmerized at the place.

"That's a lot of hair," a thug said as he handled Rapunzel's hair. Rapunzel quickly grabbed up her hair and started to run off into a corner, holding out her frying pan.

"She's growing it out. Is that blood in your moustache? Goldie, look at this. Look at all the blood in his mustache. That, sir, that's a lot of blood," Flynn pointed at the thug's mustache.

"King Mickey, can I ask you a question?" Riku asked pulling Mickey back.

"Go ahead Riku," Mickey said.

"Do we still have to follow these people?" Riku said, uncertainly.

"They might not seem so great, but they were the first people we came across and actually acted somewhat nice. We should at least follow them until the keyhole shows up," Mickey finished.

"How you holding up there Kailee?" Sora replied, seeing how nervous the thugs made Kailee.

"Oh, you know. I'm hanging in there," Kailee answered.

"Well, if you need anything, I'm always here to help," Sora said, locking eyes with Kailee.

"Thanks Sora. That really means a lot," Kailee commented.

"Anytime," Sora gave a small pat on Kailee's shoulder and turned his attention back to how Rapunzel and Flynn were handling things. Somehow, Flynn had tried, again, to put Rapunzel back in her tower, when a thug revealed him to be a wanted criminal. A whole group of thugs had grabbed him at the same time to try and claim him. Sora, Riku, Donald, Goofy, and Mickey had all tried to get him out of the mess, but they kept getting pushed or punched out. As one particular ruffian, with a hook, was about to punch Flynn, a branch came down on his head. Turned out, he was too hard headed to pass out but just enough to notice. Rapunzel was the one that had brought the branch down with her hair.

"Put him down!" she called out. "Whoa! Okay, I don't know where I am, and I need him to take me to see the lanterns because I've been dreaming about them my entire life! Find your humanity! Haven't any of you ever had a dream?"

The thug with the hook had approached her but stopped right in front of her face.

"I had a dream…once," he stared off into space. He threw an ax at a young accordion player in the corner. The accordion player started trembling and began playing.

"Not another song!" Donald exclaimed. A thug then grabbed him and threw him out the window, where he landed in a pile of mud. "Ah phooey!" Goofy and Mickey when out to check on him which left Sora, Riku and Kailee to accompany the thugs in song. After the ruffians had forced Flynn to sing and dance, they turned to Sora.

"What's your dream?" a tall thug pointed a finger at Sora.

"My dream?" Sora said, while the thug nodded. "Well, my dream is to make many people happy in the world!"

"And you?" the thug directed at Riku.

"To be able to gain back the trust of Destiny Islands and not have anymore regrets," Riku crossed him arms.

"And what about you, girl?" the thug said to Kailee.

"Well…um…" Kailee tried to regain herself by taking a deep breath. " My dream is to be able to live a normal life again. No more worries or sorrows. I just want my family back together again."

"Hooray!" the ruffians chanted. They soon finished with their lengthy song and brought back Donald, who was muttering nonsense and still wiping mud off himself. He didn't get out of the way of the door to only get thrown up and over to where Rapunzel was standing by a thug.

" I found the guards," said the thug.

Flynn hastily grabbed hold of Rapunzel and hid underneath a table. A vicious looking guard from the Kingdom came walking in.

"Where's Rider? Where is he? I know he's in here somewhere. Find him, turn the place upside down if you have to!" he fumed, ordering the guards. Mickey and the gang just stood stock still, inching their way over to Flynn and Rapunzel. The thug with the hook had caught up with them and motioned them to follow him. They crept around, until they got to the bar. The ruffians were putting themselves to good use by distracting the guards with others that obviously did not look like Flynn Rider.

The thug with the hook pulled a switch with a rubber ducky on it that revealed a secret, underground passage.

"Go, live your dream," he stated.

"I will," Flynn said.

The thug looked at him annoyed. "Your dream stinks. I was talking to her."

Flynn looked rather disappointed at how shabby the thug made his dream sound like. He began to crawl down into the passage.

"Are you sure they won't follow us through here?" Goofy sounded a bit worried.

"I don't know. But we'll try as hard as we can to make sure they don't," the thug patted Goofy on his back.

"Thanks for everything!" Sora replied, giving the thug a handshake. Everyone else gave his or her mutual thanks. Rapunzel even gave the thug a quick kiss on the cheek. Mickey, however, hung back.

" Have there been any sort of weird sightings?" he implied, looking to and fro.

The thug lifted one eyebrow. "What kind of weird sightings?"

" Just anything unusual. Something that would be hard to explain," Mickey said.

Hook hand just shook his head. "Only the usual. Why?"

" Just asking. But, thanks for everything," Mickey tried his best as to not look suspicious.

The thug immediately shut the trapdoor, leaving them all in darkness. Flynn had managed to find a torch and light it, but not before a gruesome thing popped in the darkness beyond. A figure with two heads, each one with razor-sharp fangs. Its body was a cross between an eagle and an ostrich. The worst part about it was that it had no eyes. Just one slit of a nose. On its chest was a red heart, oozing blood, with a black circle on the inside.

" Shadow crossers!"

**So yeah, I decided to call the new enemies, Shadow Crossers. I know it sounds kind of cheap but it was all I could think of since I needed to post stuff up fast because I've gotten so many reviews! Since this is my first OFFICIAL story, it really means a lot. And, if you're wondering, Mickey said that last part. Ah, Mickey. Always the one to know things first. And should I keep going with the whole Tangled part? Or should I already switch worlds? And is it missing anything at all? I know, I'm trying to put in as much Sora and Kailee action as I can, but it's hard considering I have to stick to the script for Tangled. But anyways, don't forget to rate and review! **


	7. Unlikely Enemies

Unlikely Enemies

**Ok, so I guess the appearance of the Shadow Crosser they first encountered with wasn't too pretty. I know, I know. I'll try and think up of the appearances of more Shadow Crossers. But, I should warn you, they do bring friends. And not just other Shadow Crossers. We'll see if Rapunzel has the guts to fight one off or not. Please, rate and review!**

**P.S. Oh shoot! I forgot that the gang was supposed to visit Yen Sid! DAMN IT! Well, I guess, that I might as well put in that someone gets injured at the keyhole and they have to go to Yen Sid. *Sigh* Darn my brain and me!**

The Shadow Crosser was not alone. Out of the blue, a Heartless and Nobody appeared by its side, chained to the Shadow Crosser. An eerie purple light surrounded the group and dripped onto the floor.

"What are those things?" Rapunzel ran behind Flynn, holding her pan out.

"Don't worry. We'll take care of them, just don't get near them!" Mickey had already taken a step closer to the Shadow Crosser. Sora, Riku, and Kailee had summoned their keyblades, waiting for Mickey's signal.

"Now!" Mickey had jumped towards the Shadow Crosser, as did Riku, Kailee, and Sora. Donald and Goofy stayed behind to watch over Rapunzel and Flynn. Mickey had already disposed of the Heartless and Nobody and was busy attacking the Shadow Crosser. A new batch of Heartless and Nobodies were rounding up behind it as well. Riku and Sora were trying to defeat them all, each keyblade releasing a heart from its imprisonment. Mickey had tried again and again to kill the Shadow Crosser, but his keyblade just went through it.

The Shadow Crosser marveled at how many times Mickey tried to kill it. A black tendril crawled out of its wing and swatted at Mickey. Mickey flew across to land right by Donald and Goofy, unconscious. Kailee watched, from a crack in the rock. At first she had been thrilled to finally be able to fight those things that had threatened to steal her heart. But, then again, she wasn't so sure. Kailee couldn't anymore because she was afraid that one of those Heartless contained one of her loved ones. She meant to try and stop Riku, Mickey, and Sora but she couldn't find the words.

Kailee emerged from the crack in the rock once she saw what that thing had done to Mickey. The Shadow Crosser had somehow turned towards to her after she had summoned her keyblade. Her grip tightened more once she got closer. Many more black tendrils escaped from its body and went for the keyblade. Smoke emanated from the tendrils once it came in contact with the keyblade. The Shadow Crosser growled a deep, guttural noise that chilled Kailee. She briefly closed her eyes and ran head on at the thing.

The keyblade sliced through both of the heads at once. A carbon type of smoke was released from the Shadow Crosser as with a high-pitched screaming. The shadow of a person had replaced the Shadow Crosser. The shadow walked up to Kailee and seeped into the floor under her. Her keyblade was giving off a strange orange light and Kailee heard a strange voice in her head.

_It has been bound._

_**What has been bound?**_

_The Black Wave has saved its first victim. That once was hurt, can now be restored._

Kailee felt a slight shiver run up through her body. She turned towards Riku and Sora, who had defeated all Heartless and Nobodies, to see that their keyblades were shining orange as well. Although, they were hearing the same voice, it said different things to them.

_Everything is in place._

_What is?_

_The Black Wave has found the two chosen keyblade wielders. Only one though, can make the final connection._

Sora stared on at Kailee and saw the shiver run up her body. What connection? With Kailee? And what did it mean by one? Did that mean that he and Riku were supposed to fight over her?

_Worlds are drowning in darkness._

_**Which worlds?**_

_But don't be afraid. The Black Wave has come to save us all. The Way To The Dawn and the Keyblade have been rematerialized to save the worlds._

Riku pondered over this. Did it mean that they weren't needed anymore? That Kailee, if her keyblade was called Black Wave, was the only one to save the worlds? Did she even want to travel with them anymore?

"King Mickey!" Donald and Goofy yelled in unison. Riku, Sora, and Kailee regained from their stupor and ran over to the King. As they turned him over, a hooded figure, watched from the sidelines, hidden well by the darkness. Another, hunched over, appeared by it.

"Is she ready?" the hunched over figure gestured to Kailee.

"No. But she soon will be, once we dispose of Riku and King Mickey. Then nothing will stop the merge," the hooded figure looked on.

"Yes. We must be prepared for anything by then. Have you conjured up more Shadow Crossers?" the hunchbacked one said.

"They have covered most of the Kingdom of Corona. The only place they can't reach is the palace. I highly doubt that they will make it past the stronger Shadow Crossers," the hooded one chuckled. "Especially, with the weight of the thief and the blonde one."

They both exited through a portal, but not before dropping something that would lead Kailee closer to the truth.

**Holy crap! No! King Mickey is down! I'm sorry! I had to hurt someone in the story and it had to be King Mickey. Sorry, again. Like the story says, only Kailee can kill Shadow Crossers. But, if I must say, King Mickey will be the one is carried back to Yen Sid. He will recover quickly, though! Don't worry! And what's this mysterious merge that those two were talking about back there? And, then again, who were those two people? If you think you know, then leave a review and rate it! Want to know what's coming up next, then keep reading, please! **


	8. Urgent Fabrications

**Urgent Fabrications**

**So, I've seen the reviews. And…THANK YOU! I love that you guys are actually reading my story! And about the whole thing about staying in the Tangled world, I might just send off Mickey with Donald and Goofy to Yen Sid. But for now, I'm not going to do that…yet. So in any case, rate and review!**

The King was badly injured on his right cheek. A black line had formed and was glowing a faint red. Donald reached out with his staff and began muttering a cure spell. As the spell began, it didn't help much. Although it sealed the wound, the cut was still glowing red. Plus, Mickey was still unconscious.

**_I could've avoided this. If only I had joined in on the fight, then this would've never happened._**

Kailee immediately backed away from Mickey. Internally, her self was twisted with regret and guilt. She clutched at her mouth, barely managing to stop a sob from escaping. Kailee's tears were now running down her cheeks, endlessly. No one seemed to notice except for Sora. Although he was worried about the King, he still wanted to know if Kailee was okay.

He cautiously approached her, careful not to set off anything. He crouched down next to her and placed his hand on her shoulder.

"It's not your fault," Sora reassured. "This would've happened anyway."

Kailee managed to regain herself. "I know, but that's what happened to my best friend."

"What do you mean?" Sora knew Kailee was delicate on the subject of her world but pushed on anyways.

"A few days before my world was devoured, my friend and I were walking back to my house," Kailee continued, "We were talking about something that had happened at school, when that same thing showed up. I had managed to dodge it but not Marissa. The thing caught her on the leg and her neck before disappearing.

"I tried to call for help, but by the time somebody came, her body had shriveled up. Turned completely into an empty husk. Sure, she was still breathing and everything, but it wasn't the same. She was completely and utterly gone."

Sora took Kailee into his arms. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be. It wasn't your fault to begin with," Kailee smiled into his chest. As she tried to unravel herself from Sora, his deep, ocean blue eyes entranced her. He as well with her chocolate brown eyes. Their faces were only mere inches apart and they started to close their eyes.

"Hey guys! Look!" Donald cried out, breaking Sora and Kailee from their trance. Time had stopped completely. Flynn and Rapunzel had been frozen in place. They turned around to see Yen Sid coming through a portal.

"I had warned Mickey about these creatures," Yen Sid made to stand over to where Mickey was. "If only I had told him of their afflicting injuries if one wasn't careful."

Yen Sid bent over and examined his cheek. "Just as I expected. He is to come with me back to the Tower."

"Wait!" Sora stood up and rushed over to Yen Sid. "What are we supposed to do without the King?"

"Seal the keyhole in this world of course," Yen Sid said. "Have you not noticed what kind of creatures you're dealing with here? You must be more careful. That is why Mickey made to bring Kailee here. She is of utter importance."

"Then what happens after?" Riku mentioned.

"You must keep visiting other worlds," Yen Sid began to make beams of light out of the ground. "You see, there are many more Shadow Crossers than the one you just faced. Take this one for example."

A figure appeared out of one of the beams of light. It had the same Shadow Crossers symbol only this thing was a bit like a thug. Only it had black, papery skin and purple spikes on its arms. The symbol was sketched all over its face and in the middle of its chest was a white film that behind revealed a heart.

"The one that you fought was normal type of Shadow Crosser. This one is stronger. It cans teal both your heart and soul at once. They're called Illusionists. They make you think up crazy stuff before you're sane enough to attack them," Yen Sid explained. "Though there are people like Organization XIII. They're called Realm Chasers."

"Aw. More people we need to worry about?" Sora dropped his head to the floor, shaking it back and forth.

"Yes. But, take caution with them. They are whole beings. They can possess anyone they wish to if they are impure or filled with darkness. They do have one weakness," Yen Sid pointed at Kailee. "Her."

**Sorry for leaving the cliffhanger but you know, had to make it more interesting. So, Sora, what do you think of my fanfiction so far?**

**Sora: I think it could use more action!**

**Me: In your dreams! I need you to hook up with Kailee first. Then we'll see…**

**Sora: Aww I was hoping to defeat some Shadow Crossers. **

**Me: *Sigh* Well, I guess, maybe in the future.**

**Sora: * Fist pumps the air* Yes!**

**Oh boy. Well you heard him. If you want more adventure and romance, then keep on reading! I'd appreciate a review every now and then! **

**P.S. Yes Yen Sid is worried about Mickey, but he must explain to them about the Shadow Crossers first. He doesn't want them to die.**


	9. Dark Lullabies

Dark Lullabies

**I just want to thank Fahiru first for her reviews! They really mean a lot! And, don't worry I didn't forget the rest of you either! I love you guys for reviewing too! I don't own anyone, only Kailee. Square Enix and Disney own the rest.**

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><p>"Me?" Kailee said, shocked.<p>

Yen Sid nodded. "You possess the Black Wave. The only keyblade that can touch Shadow Crossers and destroy Realm Chasers. As long as you are live and well nothing can stop you."

"Do you still have to take King Mickey back with you?" Sora asked.

"Yes, unfortunately. Mickey cannot continue on with this journey," Yen Sid abruptly shook his head. "You 5 however, must keep going. Mickey will be safe, yes. He will be kept safe by the finest magic there is possible. Once you defeat Xylen, then Mickey will be restored."

"Who's Xylen?" Sora scratched his head.

"The ruler that threatened me," Kailee recalled. "His name was Xylen. I remember now because he had it written on his sleeve."

"Of course, he must only be confronted by Kailee. She has to be connected by the time that she confronts him." Yen Sid began to pick up King Mickey.

"Connected?" Kailee walked up to Yen Sid. "With who?"

"You will know, when the time is right," Yen Sid retreated back into the portal and disappeared.

_What did he mean by making a connection? Am I supposed to unite with a Shadow Crosser? Or…with Sora or Riku? But will I be able to get my family members back?_

"What was that thing?" Flynn called out at them. While Kailee had been lost in her own thoughts, time had gone back to normal.

"Just something to look out for," Riku responded.

"Don't tell me that we're going to be facing more of them on our way out of here?" Flynn sounded annoyed.

"I'm sure we won't as long as I take lead," Kailee took a step forward. "I've decided to take charge now since I'm the only one who can defeat them."

Sora and Riku exchanged glances. They would usually be the ones to lead. More so since King Mickey wasn't with them anymore. They never would've actually guessed to be second place especially when it was a girl leading the way. Sora made brief contact with Kailee's eyes, to look away just as quick. After their awkward almost kiss, they had maintained their distance.

"Where's Mickey?" Rapunzel had noticed the missing party member.

"He…" Sora was at a loss for words.

"He ran off into the tunnel ahead. He said he was chasing a suspicious figure," Goofy put in. Sora nodded his thanks at him.

"I hope he's ok. I wouldn't want anything bad to happen to him," Rapunzel said, concerned.

"I'm sure he'll be fine. Ki-I mean, Mickey will be ok. He knows his stuff," Donald choked out.

"Well then, shall we?" Flynn began walking towards the endless darkness. Kailee ran up ahead, finding and lighting another torch. As she began to walk, she came across a small figure on the floor. Once Kailee picked it up, she gasped. It was the gold bracelet she had given to her older sister for her birthday. She quickly shoved it in her pocket and was thankful that no one had noticed. Riku looked over to Sora to see that he had worried written all over his face.

"What's wrong Sora?" Riku asked. "You look kind of down."

"It's just that, Kailee was telling me what would happen if one of those things hit you," Sora said. "She said that once it hits you that you shrivel up. Sure, you're still breathing but you're just not yourself anymore. You're just an empty shell."

"Like a Nobody?" Riku pondered.

"No. They're still whole, with their heart. Only, without a soul," Sora shuddered.

"Does that mean we have to stay behind Kailee at all times?" Riku motioned to her.

"Pretty much. We can still fight Heartless and Nobodies, like the ones that joined that Shadow Crosser. Just steer clear of the Shadow Crosser," Sora finished. After a few minutes of silence, Rapunzel spoke up.

"So, Flynn, where're you from?" Rapunzel swung her frying pan back and forth.

"Whoo-oo! Sorry, blondie, I don't do back-story. However I am becoming very interested in yours. Now I know I'm not supposed to mention the hair," Flynn replied.

"Nope," she shook her head.

"Or the mother."

"Ah, ah."

"And, frankly, I'm too scared to ask about the frog," Flynn briefly remembered the green, small animal that had accompanied Rapunzel throughout their small adventure.

"Chameleon," Rapunzel corrected.

"Nuance. Here's my question though: if you want to see the lanterns so badly, why haven't you gone before?" Flynn questioned.

"Uh, well…" the floor began to vibrate underneath the gang's feet. A distinct shout of voices had made Kailee's, Riku's, and Sora's keyblades appear.

"Flynn…" Rapunzel began to back away from the voices.

"Rider!" One of the voices shouted.

"Run!" Flynn grabbed at Rapunzel wrist, just as she had finished gathering up her hair. Kailee ran along with Goofy up front. Meanwhile, Donald, Riku and Sora conjured up an ice while to buy them some time. A few Heartless and Nobodies had jumped out from dark corners, but Sora was quick to kill them off. As they reached the end of the tunnel, an Illusionist appeared. They all came to an extreme halt, their faces showing their fear.

The Illusionist's heart was beating at a fast rate. Obviously, it was copying the heartbeats of them all. Kailee took a valiant step in front of the group, facing the Illusionist. The scene around her had changed. She was now in a dark alley, watching the Illusionist begin to approach her. She remembered this alley well. It was where Xylen had tried to make her his by charming her.

Kailee regretted ever finding him likeable at all. It was just a bunch of lies to use her, and probably the Black Wave as well. She gripped her keyblade tightly. The Illusionist was now holding a brown cube. The brown cube released chains that grabbed hold of Kailee's wrists and ankles. It brought her body closer to the Illusionist. She tried squirming out its grasp, but it was pointless. Its neck opened up to show a grotesque mouth, with sharp, yellow fangs. It was trying to get at Kailee's neck, when the Black Wave reacted and sliced its jaw in half.

The Illusionist cried out in pain and agony. The brown cube fell to the ground and dropped the chains from Kailee. She grabbed hold of the Black Wave pierced the Illusionist right through its heart. It emitted a low, guttural sound and disappeared. The scenery though hadn't changed. Kailee heard two voices. It was obvious that they were both fighting.

"You can't love him too! He's mine!" Kailee recognized that as her older sister's voice.

"But how can you? He wants me!" Kailee heard her own voice as well. Once she had reached them both, she recognized that she and her sister, Eliza, were standing in front of their family's porch. She now remembered that she had been talking to Xylen on the porch when Eliza showed up. He had disappeared by the time Eliza confronted her.

"No he doesn't! How can you not get it through your thick skull that he's too old for you?" Eliza fumed.

"I don't care! All I know is that he likes me and I like him back we're perfect for each other!" Kailee explained.

Eliza slapped Kailee then. "Just watch, by tomorrow, he won't be there for you anymore."

Kailee held her hand up to her cheek, remembering how that slap had hurt her physically and emotionally. Eliza had driven away a few minutes later. Kailee was left stumped on the porch, tears escaping her eyes. Kailee backed away from the scene. She realized that she should've gone after her sister to stop her from making the biggest mistake of her life. She hardly noticed the water that began to rise from her feet. Kailee was too caught up in her thoughts to realize. The water had by then reached her neck and pulled her under.

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><p><strong>Well, I must say. Kailee has a deep, dark past. I didn't really feel like explaining the whole water bridge sort of thing that happened once the guards reached Rapunzel and Flynn in Tangled. Sora will explain that later. But, I have news for you guys. Yes, Eliza will be hooking up with Riku in the end. If you must ask, she's sort of emo-ish. I guess. She has straight, jet-black hair, gray eyes and she's light skinned. Her usual wardrobe is black. EVERYTHING is black in her closet. And she LOVES to punish herself. So, I think she and Riku will get along pretty nicely.<strong>

**Riku: What? You never told me I had a love interest?**  
><strong>Me: Well, it was supposed to be a surprise and- Wait did Sora tell you this?<strong>  
><strong>Sora: Maybe…<strong>

**Me: See this is why I have to keep everything a secret!**

**Sora: Aww but then it won't be much fun to be surprised. Can you tell me what's going to happen in the end at least?**  
><strong>Me: Yes. You're going to die.<strong>

**Sora: O_o**

**P.S. Just kidding! ;P**


	10. Wishful Thinking

Wishful Thinking

**Hey you guys! Again, review! I appreciate it if you do and will keep going as well! Sora will be talking a lot in this chapter so try not to be bored by his lengthy words. I don't own these people. If I did, boy would Kairi be dead by now! I now that's being a bit cruel but I've had a crush on Sora since I played Kingdom Hearts. I only own Kailee, Xylen, Eliza and the Shadow Crossers.**

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><p>C'mon Kailee! Wake up!" Sora was shaking Kailee by the shoulders.<p>

Kailee's eyes shot wide open. Her lungs were filled with water. Sora propped her up while she heaved out the water. He shut his eyes, trying not to throw up himself. As Kailee finished, she took in her surroundings. It was nighttime, apparently. They were back in the forest, in a small clearing. Donald, Goofy, Riku, Rapunzel and Flynn were sitting on two logs by a small fire. Goofy, Donald, and Riku were chatting up a storm on what kind of tactics they could use to stun the Shadow Crossers just enough time for Kailee to attack them. Rapunzel was wrapping her hair around Flynn's hand explaining how it would help somehow.

"What happened to me?" Kailee asked Sora.

"Once you had stepped in front of the Illusionist, you passed out. We tried to wake you up, but the guards were almost at us," Sora explained.

"What happened after that?" Kailee was still confused on how she had water in her lungs if they were in plain air.

"I tried carrying you, but a horse crashed into me and made me drop you inside this huge dam," Sora frowned. " Flynn and Rapunzel had already knocked out most of the guards, but Flynn had made one of the wooden pillars tumble and fall. By then I had spotted your body and went after you. Donald cast a spell on me to have me be able to breathe underwater. Your body was submerged and your head almost crashed on a rock. But something brought you over to me. I think it was a Shadow Crosser.

"It looked like a kitten, only it had stripes and was the color purple. It still had the same symbol, but the heart was a color gold and the circle inside was a sky blue. Donald, Goofy, and Riku built a raft, like the one Riku and I had built back on Destiny Islands. They put you on board and hauled me up. The water overflowed over the rock barrier and carried us out by the forest. And we ended up here.

"Flynn and Rapunzel came out of that rock hole by the river. They told us how they had been trapped in a cave and weren't able to escape. Turned out that Rapunzel's hair is also magical. It can glow, heal you, and make you younger as long as you don't cut it. Right now she's healing Flynn hand."

"And where did the Shadow Crosser go?" Kailee wondered. She was awed at how Sora had been so consistent at trying to save her. Of course, it must've been because she was the only one that could defeat the Shadow Crossers. Plus, she had a faint idea that they were going to show up a whole lot more in the future. But, was that the only reason?

"It's sleeping in that log underneath Rapunzel and Flynn. Apparently, it likes you because it wouldn't stop nudging you to wake up," Sora remembered. "Are you sure you're ok?"

"I'm sure I'm fine. Just a little lightheaded," Kailee held her hand up to her head.

Sora's eyes widened. "But you're bleeding."

A deep gash was embedded in Kailee's arm. "That must be why."

"Rapunzel!" Sora ran over to her. "Can you please heal Kailee? She's wounded pretty bad."

Rapunzel picked up the ends of her hair and reached Kailee. Her face turned pale at the sight of Kailee's blood. It quickly faded on she became serious. Rapunzel wrapped her hair around Kailee's arm and began to sing.

"Flower, gleam and glow.

Let your power shine.

Make the clock reverse,

Bring back what once was mine.

Heal what has been hurt,

Change the fate's design.

Save what has been lost,

Bring back what once was mine,

What once was mine."

Rapunzel unwrapped her hair from Kailee. Newfound strength returned to her. Although, her hair had healed her, it still left a pink scar.

"Why is it that her wound became a scar but not mine?" Flynn said, appearing beside Rapunzel.

"It's because her wound was really deep. I also thought that she would heal completely but she's different," Rapunzel said. "Maybe the momentary watery death I had imagined for myself tired me and my hair out."

Rapunzel and Flynn went to go sit by the logs again. Kailee and Sora followed suit by sitting on a third log that was conveniently placed by Riku. Flynn went into the woods to gather more firewood after the fire began growing dimmer. Rapunzel went after her chameleon after it wandered off into a secluded part of the forest.

"Do you miss her?" Kailee looked at Sora.

"Who?" Sora, for a moment, wished she were talking about his mom.

"Kairi. Don't you ever think that she misses you too?"

"Yeah, but I know that I will get back to her one day. I promised."

Kailee smiled. "I used to have friends like them. Kairi and Riku."

"What were their names?"

"Larissa and Damon. We were best friends since birth. We all promised each other that we would stick together no matter what. But then, Damon fell for Larissa. They began dating and included me with them at first. But after a while, they began to grow distant from me. I was considered the third wheel. After a few months, they stopped hanging out with me at all," Kailee said.

"I'm sorry," Sora said, sympathetically.

"Like I said before, don't be. What's done is done. It can never be undone," Kailee looked on at the flames. The whole group began to recount their adventures, as the night wore on. Sora and Riku even explained the whole situation with Ansem and Xemnas. They also explained how Roxas had told them, before returning to Sora, about a secret inside joke that the Organization had about Xemnas. The Shadow Crosser eventually woke up and sat casually on Kailee's lap. It was as cute and cuddly as it seemed. It even showed them some unnatural powers as turning the flames into different colors.

As they were getting ready to fall asleep, the hooded figure, along with the hunched one, appeared again.

"Has she found out yet?" the hunched one inquired.

"No. She has no idea of what fate has befallen her sister," the hooded one answered.

"Good. Prepare the Warnless. Make sure it lands in the city." A portal appeared behind them. "Hopefully it stops them in their tracks."

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><p><strong>Oh SHIT! Pardon my language, I'm just excited! This is my tenth chapter! That hasn't ever not been looked like. So far, I think it's going well. If anyone wants me to add anything, feel free to tell me in a review! And should Mickey be mentioned at all later on, or should he be turned into a puppet of the Shadow Crossers? I know it might be a bit mean if I do that, but it'll be a nice twist! Something really unexpected, unlike other stories. So don't forget to rate and review! <strong>


	11. Scornful Lies

Scornful Lies

**Disclaimer: Don't own. Square Enix and Disney do. I only own the Shadow Crossers, Kailee, Xylen, Kailee's family, and the Warnless.**

**Hello, my fellow keyblade wielders! I must say, I am sorry for not updating really fast, I just got from school and I'm super tired because we have testing this week and next week, so I'm going to be studying for a while. Anyways, to answer your question Fahiru, no I did NOT base Kailee on myself. The only things we share in common is the hair and the eyes. And if I did have a big crush on Sora, Kairi would've accidentally died on Destiny Islands in my first chapter. Don't worry. I won't kill her off. And about turning into Mickey into a puppet… Like I said before, the Shadow Crossers are half-light and half darkness. I know that Mickey is a being of light but that doesn't mean he can't be half and half right? But let's get on with the story, shall we?**

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><p>The sun crawled out from behind the mountain's edge. The clouds, which were painted pink from the sun's rays, made their way across the orange-tampered sky. Dewdrops clung onto leaves and grass from the night before. The animals, whether they sheltered in holes, caves or nests, greeted the morning with stretching and lazy yawns. The campfire's flames had died out, leaving a few embers behind. Kailee was the first to wake up.<p>

She had a restless night. Images of Shadow Crossers and her sister, Eliza, flashed across her mind. It all didn't make sense. Her head throbbed at just remembering those horrible nightmares.

I think walking and stretching my limbs will help me forget.

Kailee looked back at the sleeping group. Rapunzel was curled up into her hair, obviously snoring. Her pet chameleon, Pascal, which Rapunzel had told them, was snuggled up in her hair as well. Her frying pan rested behind them, perched up on a tree. Flynn had found a cozy rock to rest his head on. Every now and then, a butterfly would pass his face. Donald and Goofy were both sitting, asleep, on a log, with their mouths. A comical snore would escape their lips, considering that they looked pretty cartoon-like. Riku fell asleep while standing guard. They had decided on taking turns watching out for Heartless, Nobodies, and Shadow Crossers. Riku was the last one to take the shift, yet he fell asleep.

And then, there was Sora. He had also been taking shifts at night. As soon as he had been relieved from his shift, he had slept on top of a tree root. The cat-like Shadow Crosser had curled up against his stomach, purring. His breathing matched the cats as well. His face was the most relaxed than it had ever been since he had started the journey. Even though it had only been a day and a half, he was already exhausted. Kailee smiled. At least, they weren't so worried as they usually were when they were awake

_**If only I could be just as relaxed as they are.**_

Kailee sighed. She began to look around the forest for any edible plants or berries. Her dad had been a botanist and had taught her which plants and fruits to look out for if she ever found herself in the forest. Kailee never thought that she would actually be in one. Just as she spotted a strawberry bush, a holographic image appeared in front of the bush. A fleeting image of Mickey came across.

"Kailee!" Mickey yelped, his eyes showing fear.

"King Mickey? What's wrong?" Kailee said, her face turning into worry.

"It's the scar on my face! It's changing!" Mickey held up his left cheek. Black veins were sprouting from cheek, obviously throbbing. The red glow had now spread onto the left side of his face. His ear was now twitching constantly, going crazy.

"Oh my gosh! What happened?" Kailee said, exasperated. What happened to Marissa was nothing compared to what was now going on with Mickey.

"Well, uh, you remember how I was struck by that Shadow Crosser?" he reminded her. She nodded.

"Once Yen Sid brought me over to the Mysterious Tower, he encased me in a ball of light, to try and evaporate the darkness from the scar. The three fairies, Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather were aiding him as well. Although, the darkness didn't stop it only spread!" Mickey cried out.

"Well what do you think we should do?" Kailee asked, scared of what fate might befall Mickey.

"I have to go back to Disney Castle. The Hall of The Cornerstone might heal me. It is, of course, the brightest light in all worlds. I must get there right away before this gets worse. Please, don't tell anyone about this. Especially Donald and Goofy. I don't want them to get worried about something that won't help them on the journey to defeat Xylen. Remember, you, Riku, and Sora must seal all of the keyholes. Only then, will the Shadow Crossers stop emerging," Mickey explained.

"Don't worry. I promise, King Mickey, on my life," Kailee set her face in a grimace.

"Thank you, Kailee. Now hurry back to wherever they are and keep this in between us," Mickey swiped his keyblade through the hologram. Kailee stood there, stock-still. She clutched at her heart, thinking about what would happen if Mickey turned to darkness.

**_No. That can't, won't happen. I won't allow it. I have to keep my promise to King Mickey. No matter if it kills me._**

Kailee gathered up a share of strawberries, enough for everyone in their group. She kept a smile plastered on her face, just in case if anyone had woken up already to not find her in a state of worry. She hastily placed the strawberries in her arms and began walking in the direction of the camp. As she was just a few feet from the camp, she heard a loud yell. She ran over, still holding the strawberries and dropping them onto Rapunzel's frying pan. She called up the Black Wave and looked for any suspicious activity. The yelling was still going on. Kailee saw that Flynn, Rapunzel, and Pascal weren't at their sleeping places anymore. The yelling had also woken up Sora, Riku, Donald and Goofy as well. They ran to the yelling and could barely abstain from laughing.

Turned out that a pure, white horse, that looked to be from the Kingdom, was dragging Flynn by his boot in that direction. Rapunzel ran over to them and began to pull Flynn by his arms.

"Release—him!" Rapunzel grunted, pulling with all her strength. The horse shook its head back and forth and continued to pull. Just as the horse expected to have his way, Flynn came free and landed beside Rapunzel. The horse was flung to the other side, its mouth still holding Flynn's boot. The horse immediately stood up and began to trot over to Rapunzel and Flynn.

The horse was wildly trying to flail at Flynn, but Rapunzel was trying her best to calm it down. "Whoa, whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Easy, boy, easy! Settle down! Whoa, whoa! Easy, boy, easy. Easy," Rapunzel said, managing to calm it down. What she wasn't aware of was that she really wasn't the one that had been calming down the horse. It had really been Pascal, which had caused most of Kailee's, Sora's, Riku's, Donald's, and Goofy's giggles.

Rapunzel had also influenced the horse, Maximus, to drop Flynn's boot. Plus it was sweet talking it to try and join them. Kailee groaned inwardly. Although she would love to have the horse join them, she still wanted to be loyal to King Mickey's promise and she didn't want to have more things to worry about. But for right now, she decided to just enjoy the time she had so far. As the group continued their subtle giggles, Flynn managed to overhear them.

"What are you guys laughing at?" Flynn's eyebrows creased together, angry. This just caused bursts of laughter to emit from the all.

"That was not funny! I could've gotten killed!" Flynn over exaggerated.

"Oh come on, Flynn. Learn to laugh!" Rapunzel smiled, giggling herself. Flynn just sat there, in a stupor. He crossed his arms and retreated into himself, clearly not wanting any part of the laughter. His eyes then became filled with fear as he looked and pointed in the direction of the Kingdom of Corona.

"The Kingdom's on fire!"

**Let me just clear things up. Rapunzel is still calling Flynn, Flynn. Even though he told her that his name was Eugene, she took it as a secret that was better kept between them. And I do have a method for healing Mickey, but it might be a bit risky. But better let it be a surprise than spoil it! Yes, Kailee still has her scar. It hasn't gone away. In fact, it'll probably stay there forever. But expect a lot more action in the next chapter! It'll be a little more gorier than usual, so I would encourage you guys to brace yourselves. Don't be afraid to throw in a review! I will give you Sora's keyblade in exchange! ;)**

**Sora: I won't let you!**

**Me: Oh lighten up Sora. You know I can't do that. I'll give them Riku's instead.**

**Riku: Hey! That's not fair!**

**Me: Jeez! Can you guys take a joke for once? **


	12. Flashing Embers

Flashing Embers

**Whoa! Sorry, I've been taking breaks lately, school and all that. I can't promise you Terra's keyblade, Fahiru, but I will say that he will appear in later chapters. Just a little spoiler to get you guys excited. Anyways, thank you for the reviews! I appreciate them all! And I would like to have them keep coming. You know, at first I thought this was going to end up like any of my other stories. Thrown away, or completely forgotten. But , boy was I wrong! Let's get on with the gore! Woohoo!**

**Disclaimer: Don't own. Only Kailee, Eliza, Xylen, Kailee's family, and the Shadow Crossers.**

**P.S. The purple cat Shadow Crosser is still there. I just forgot to mention it in the last chapter. And it kind of ran away after helping them because it knows what will happen in the future, so it doesn't want to die. I know, a little selfish, aren't we?**

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><p>"No!" Rapunzel cried out. She ran towards the burning kingdom, as if she could try and save it from the turmoil. She tripped on her hair and fell on her knees at the bridge. Everybody else was panting from running too fast, but they managed to catch up with her. Rapunzel placed her face in her hands as her body shuddered with sobs. Flynn carefully placed a hand on her back, rubbing comforting circles.<p>

"There's no hope, Goldilocks. It's pointless," Flynn's eyes flashed with pain as he remembered the promise he had made to Rapunzel. Now, he was positive he was never going to get the crown back.

"Look!" Donald pointed a feathery finger at a most disturbing sight. Kailee, Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Riku got closer, leaving behind Flynn and Rapunzel. Kailee put a hand to her mouth, sustaining herself from retching while all of the boys' eyes grew wide.

A man's body lay strewn on the floor, surpassing the flames. Only, this specific body wasn't left alone. It seemed as though a wild beast, thirsty for blood, had completely mauled the poor soul. The man's chest had been completely ripped out. The intestines were unraveled reaching out to the edge of the bridge. Half of his ribs remained while the rest were screwed inside his neck. The rest of the organs were chopped up into pieces. The heart was the only organ that was missing. The thigh's bones had been split and were sticking up out of the skin for both legs. The toenails on his feet had been brutally ripped out and his arms were hanging off at an odd angle. His jaw had been also thrown off to the side and his eyes were staring perpetually at the sky.

They were left in complete shock. What kind of thing would do something like this? Flashbacks of bodies strewn across Kailee's neighborhood, passed threw her mind. She swallowed back the regurgitation of her strawberries and made a grimace.

"We have to find out what or who did this. But first…" Kailee said. "We have to at least have some respect for the dead."

Kailee closed her eyes and everybody else followed suit. Rapunzel and Flynn came up after, paying their respects, also. After a few minutes of silence, a loud roar rang from the kingdom. Everybody's eyes shot wide open and the keyblade wielders summoned their keyblades. A mass of red shot by them. The thing then landed up on the tower of the palace.

"What is that thing?" Sora said.

It looked like a dragon, but it was far from it. It had 8 heads, like the hydra that Sora had fought in the Olympus Coliseum. It's eyes were 16 pair of black slits with red rim around. Their teeth were so sharp, that just looking at them made it as if they were already digging into your skin. Each of the heads had a forked tongue, the color of peacock feathers. It had long veined wings with sharp hooks attached to the ends and the Shadow Crosser symbol on both. It's arms were red skinned and bulging with muscle. It's talons were practically destroying the palace's tower as it looked at them. The 8 heads reared back and emitted a high-pitched scream that sent blasts of pain to any creature with ears.

"We have to find a way to stop it before the rest of the kingdom winds up like this guy!" Riku yelled.

_Three must join to work as one. The rest must fan the flames that the beast has wreaked._

Kailee, Riku, Sora, Donald, and Goofy heard the voice at once. They all had a pretty good idea on who the voice was talking about.

"Alright, then. Donald, Goofy you two head into the kingdom and save as many townsfolk as you can. Take Rapunzel and Flynn to help, too. Make sure to steer clear of the beast, and don't get burned by the flames. We'll take care of it," Sora explained. Kailee admired how in control he was in a situation like this. But, then again, he was used to this after having two years of constant fighting.

Donald and Goofy gave subtle nods and dragged along Rapunzel and Flynn towards the burning kingdom. The beast once again belt out a loud screech and flew towards the trio. It stopped just in front of them, building up a barrier of fire between them and the entrance to the kingdom.

_**I hope that Donald and Goofy tune down the flames enough to just stay put.**_

The beast set its eyes on Kailee. It fumed once it saw the Black Wave. One of the heads came and swooped down to try and get a bite out of Sora. He was quick to avoid it and swung his keyblade at it. It bounced off one its sharp fangs and returned to his hand. Riku had been busy fighting his own head too. The head had come up from behind and nearly taken a full chunk of his backside if it hadn't been for his eye catching something odd behind him. He jumped out of the way and dug his keyblade into the bridge. He grasped it and swung his feet out to kick the head right on its left eye. It howled in pain and began to strike again.

Kailee was a different situation. Since only two heads were occupied with Sora and Riku, the other six had decided to gang up on her. Thanking her mom secretly for having her take gymnastics, she managed to maneuver her way in between heads. The only thing she didn't look out for were the taloned claw reaching for her. It got her and threw her down on the bridge, cracking it. Kailee's head banged on the bridge and soon enough she was seeing stars. The beast took this as an opportunity and struck at her with a forked tongue. It got her on her bad arm and reopened the gash. This time though, it was searing with acid from the beast's tongue and quickly festering. The Black Wave gained a mind of its own and, with the spikes underneath, dug into the beast's eyes. It quickly let go of Kailee and the Black Wave returned to her. She gasped at the pain in her arm and how much it would take to heal.

Just as that thought passed by her, the beast reared up and struck down hard on the bridge. The bridge collapsed under their feet. Kailee had seen it coming and had already run across the bridge to the edge. Sora and Riku, however, were a bit late to notice since they too had searing pain in their legs and chest. Just as they were about to plunge down, Kailee caught them both, in each of her hands. She grunted at the sudden weight and tried to heave them up. The beast had flown up when it had destroyed the bridge. It had also cut off one of it's own head because it knew it couldn't make do with one blind head. It flew ahead towards Kailee. Her eyes widened and she again tried to pull up both Sora nd Riku.

It's no use! I can't pull you two up!" The words flew from her mouth.

Just as they were about to answer, the beast grabbed on to Sora and Riku and flew up into the skies. They tried to fight it off, but, just as Mickey, their keyblades just went right through. Kailee went running after them, since the beast was headed for the woods. She trampled upon a bunch of branches and bushes, yet she pushed on. She couldn't bear to part with two people who she cared about. Even though, they only had known each other for two days, she already felt as though they were connected to her heart, including Donald, Goofy, and Mickey. Her muscles were aching by the time she arrived to the beast's location.

Kailee gasped. Down below her was a one hundred foot drop to a valley of rocks. Sharp ones, at that. She came to a realization at how the beast was planning to rid of the two boys. She looked up just in time to see the beast let go of them both.

"No!"

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><p><strong>I meant that to happen . :D Ok, so when I said he was going to die… I probably shouldn't tell you guys. I've already spoiled enough. But here are some hard hitting questions I want you guys to answer.<strong>

**What did you guys think of the scene with the man's body? To tell you the truth, I was a bit frightened writing it myself.**

**Should I keep the Warnless alive? It's a pretty BEAST beast!**

**Should I stop writing about Tangled and head onto the next world?**

**How many worlds should you guys want me to write about?**

**Should I include any non-Disney worlds?**

**Review my story, please! I promise virtual cookies! Baked by Sora! ;)**


	13. Recovering Memories

Recovering Memories

**I've been thinking…What is it that attracts us so much, as reading? I mean, think about it. Has it ever occurred to you how amazing reading can actually be? I don't anything. Only Kailee, Xylen, Shadow Crossers, Eliza, Kailee's family, and Realm Chasers.**

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><p>She knew by the looks of it that she was too late. She could've avoided it all, if it hadn't been for her stubbornness to ignore her surroundings. Now, everything was falling apart. She was the one that had to be the one to notice things first. To raise any suspicions of any activity going on. If only she hadn't ignored stranger talking to her that day.<p>

Kailee had just gotten out of school, walking with a spring in her step. She just had been asked out by a cute boy she had had her eye on for a while, gotten an A+ on her Chemistry test, and performed with her dance class in front of her school. Which got a substantial amount of applause, by the way. Larissa and Damon were still dating but she couldn't wait to rub it into their faces. She came up to her house and left her backpack by the porch. Checking to see if she had any onlookers, she dashed off into the forest that was conveniently placed by her house.

Kailee traveled down the worn, old forest path, leading to a cliff. A cave stood by to the side of the cliff, where Kailee, Larissa and Damon had spent most of their childhood playing games and drawing pictures on the walls. A babbling brook rested in between the cave, starting and ending in dark hallways that led off on both sides. Kailee smiled as she ran her fingers on the cave walls. She chuckled to herself when she remembered that one time when Damon had tried to carve out a picture of himself by the brook only to end up falling on his butt. An unfinished picture rested at the end of cave. It was of the three of them each with a different weapon in hand. Larissa had a shield and Damon had two knives in both of his songs. Kailee hadn't been able to draw a weapon because Kailee's parents had requested the three of them for dinner.

Kailee picked up an abandoned rock by the brook and began to scratch a picture on the cave wall. She decided that since it wasn't brought up often, to sketch out a sword. Once she finished, she looked back and admired her work. Just as she had gotten up, a voice had cut through the noise of the brook.

"This world is drowning," the voice spoke.

"What do you mean?" Kailee adjusted her eyes to the direction where the lone figure stood.

"So many lives have been lost. It's only a matter of time before yours is too," the voice said.

"How can you be so sure of that?" Kailee challenged.

"You're too foolish to know what kind of creatures you'll be facing," the voice sighed. "It's somewhat of a miracle on how it picked you."

"Whoever you are, you better stop trying to scare me!" Kailee knew that she couldn't pick a fight here. What if this voice in a black robe could possibly be able to hurt her? And the fact that she's in the middle of the forest doesn't help her case at all.

"As you wish," the voice faded back into the dark hallway of the babbling brook.

_What did he mean by being the one that was chosen? Probably just Damon or Larissa trying to psych me out._

After that, she really was foolish enough to not notice the danger everyone was in. And now, the two people who she came to care about, where falling to their deaths.

Sora had never imagined his death like this. He had always thought of himself having a family. Maybe two, three kids. And then, peacefully dying in bed. Not as tortuous as this. But he had to admit, it wouldn't be so bad as being torn apart by the monster that hovered above him, quickly becoming smaller. He heard Kailee's cry as he tumbled down. He turned his head towards her. She had tears streaming down her face and her hands were clawing at the earth. He tried to be positive by sending a small smile her way, a tear escaping his eye. He then closed his eyes waiting for the impact.

Riku was thinking the same thing. Only, he had a more valiant retrospect on how he would've died. He did plan on having a family with at least one or more kids. But, he had imagined his death saving one of his loved ones by sacrificing himself. This wasn't as courageous as he thought it would've been. He looked over to see the sun set and paint the sky in wonderful colors. At least he would die with this last beautiful scene forever implanted in his mind. Riku closed his eyes and waited.

Kailee didn't get to see them die. A force, the color of tulips, grabbed both Sora and Riku. It wrapped them up in its wings and soared over to where Kailee was. The mysterious force then shot up into the sky and tangled itself with the beast. They were clashing together, fighting for power. The force managed to cut off six of the beast's heads, while at the same time ripping two holes through its wings. The beast cried out and began to plummet through the sky. Kailee shielded her eyes before the beast fell into the valley, piercing itself. A burst of black sprouted up from where the beast had fallen, marking its death.

Kailee slowly opened her eyes to see the skeleton of the beast, charring away. Along by the skeleton were piles of hearts, humans at that. Kailee almost gagged at the sight. The force slowly came down and rested in front of Kailee. It looked similar to the beast, only with a slighter positive air to it. She marveled at how sea green its eyes were accompanied with a light purple snout. Sharp white teeth revealed themselves as the thing tried to smile. Thankfully, it had only on head, and a majestic one at that. Its wings were veined but looked to be softer and sturdier than the beast's. The thing's body was lean, yet powerful as its arms and legged bunched up with hard-earned muscle. It was obviously a Shadow Crosser, considering the ability to defeat one of its own and it had the gold heart with the sky-blue circle symbol embedded on its neck. It gazed curiously at Kailee, wondering to see if she was trustworthy, even though it had just saved her friends.

_Very noble of you to stand up against the Warnless._

At first, Kailee thought she was just hearing things again, but the purple creature was still looking intently at her. So, she decided to respond, to see if it was actually it talking to her_._

_**Are you talking to me?**_

_Of course. You are the wielder of the Black Wave, aren't you?_

_**Yes, but how do you know that?**_

It has been mentioned many times in the prophecies of us Shadow Crossers.

_**What kind of Shadow Crosser are you?**_

_Pardon my indiscretion. I am a Charmer. A very rare Shadow Crosser indeed. Its practically destiny on how our paths crossed._

_But why did you save my friends?  
><em>

_Because without them, then the connection will not be made._

_What is this connection everyone keeps talking about? Am I supposed to do something with them?_

_No, to tell you the truth, I am not so sure myself. After all, I am not the highest ranking of Shadow Crossers. Therefore, I am not capable of obtaining that type of information, regrettably._

_Well, I guess I'll have to find out. Anyways, would you mind telling me how to heal a wound created by one of you?_

_It is quite simple really. You need to perform a blood sharing bond with a Shadow Crosser, and a powerful one at that._

_**Can we bond with you?**_

_I am truly sorry. I am not of higher rank. Most of the higher rank either belongs to the Realm Chasers or the pure ones are hidden well deep in the worlds._

_**Can you take us to one?**_

_I think I might know of a place where you could find one. But you must promise me to fulfill your fate as a keyblade wielder and seal every keyhole out there._

_**But wouldn't that also make you guys disappear too?**_

_Actually, we would still remain, only not quite as Shadow Crossers. You see, we were all once normal living creatures. We were just either too pure or too dark and turned into Shadow Crossers because we all broke the sacred rule of divulging too much into the inner depths of our worlds. All of our souls have been trapped between the cores of the worlds. So naturally, if you seal all of the keyholes, we would be restored to our original states and granted a full life._

Kailee took time to process this information. She couldn't believe that something as pure as this specific Chaser would be doomed to be a Shadow Crosser. Even though it would still be a pure spirit, its soul would be trapped forever in the core of their world. She looked to see that Riku and Sora had been regaining their consciousness since their almost-death had caused them to faint. As soon as Riku and Sora were sitting upright, Kailee took them in her arms.

At first, they said nothing. Both too stunned to process what was going on, or how they even got here. They both spotted the Chaser over Kailee's shoulders. It gave them a small nod, briefly enchanting them with its impossibly sea green eyes. Sora was the first to wrap his arms around Kailee's waist. Riku followed suit after. Kailee had already begun crying and was shaking as she held them tightly.

"I thought I was going to lose you two," she sobbed.

"Us too," Riku responded.

"But you didn't," Sora replied. "We would've missed you too much."

Kailee broke apart from the hug and looked them each in the eyes. "I would miss you both. I'm just glad you're alive," Sora's and Riku's eyes darted back and forth from the Chaser to Kailee. "Oh! This is a Chaser. One of the good Shadow Crossers. She saved both of you and destroyed the Warnless, the beast that tried to kill us."

_It is a pleasure to meet another pair of keybladers._

"Did you guys hear that?" Sora asked, his head moving around.

"It was the Chaser. It can't really talk so it communicates with us by speaking through our minds," Kailee cleared up.

"Oh, well then it's a pleasure to meet one of the good Shadow Crossers," Sora bowed.

"And thank you for saving our lives," Riku bowed, too.

_Of course, no need to thank me for. I save any life in danger, whether big or small. It seemed necessary to save you both considering you are friends to the Black Wave._

"In any case, thank you still. We owe you, greatly," Riku said. The Chaser nodded, acknowledging the thanks.

"What happened to the Kingdom?" Sora gasped.

"Let's go and find out!" Kailee replied. Riku, Sora, Kailee, and the Chaser traveled through the forest, finding their way back to the kingdom.

"Wait!" Kailee cried out, barely stopping Sora and Riku from falling through the bridge.

"Would you mind taking us across?" Sora asked the Chaser.

_Not at all. Only one at a time, though._

Just as they had all crossed, a wonderful sight greeted them. It seemed as though the townsfolk were rejoicing about something. Most of them were repairing what the Warnless destroyed and hanging up decorations covered in golden suns with purple flags. A lot of the ashes had been cleared away and new paint was going up everywhere. Most of the crowd's attention was to four figures standing in the middle of the market square. As Riku, Sora, Kailee, and the Chaser weaved their way in between the crowd, their jaws dropped. Well, at least everyone except the Chaser who remained stock still, observing for any suspicious activity.

Statues of Donald, Goofy, Rapunzel and Flynn had been sculpted out of pure marble. A sign was hung up above the statues, commemorating them for actually saving the kingdom. Sitting in chairs just behind them, were the real things. As soon as they spotted Riku, Sora, and Kailee, they ran up to them spilling the news. A few hugs had been exchanged, mostly by Rapunzel, Donald, and Goofy because Flynn admitted that he was too much of a man to hug. Donald told them that they had encountered a great number of Heartless and Nobodies as they entered the kingdom. He had warded them off with magic and Goofy with his shield. Rapunzel joined in with her frying pan, stunning Heartless and Nobodies just enough to have them expelled by Donald. Flynn was lucky enough to find a capable sword lying around. Goofy commented that many of the townspeople had hidden inside their homes, too afraid of the Heartless and Nobodies. Most of them were willing to die in the flames rather than have their hearts taken away.

Donald had used a tricky water spell on the whole kingdom at once and was able to extinguish even the most brutal of flames. The kingdom cried out in joy once they had found out who their saviors were. Although many of their houses had been destroyed, they were known to have capable construction workers who could get the job done fast. The kingdom had managed to make the statues one hour after they had been saved.

Kailee, Riku and Sora were stupefied. They all were thinking that they should at least get some of the credit as well. They were the ones that warded off the Warnless. Yet, none of the townspeople actually saw them specifically. They were huddled up in their homes, anyways.

"So now what?" Sora put his hands behind his head.

"Find the keyhole?" Kailee said.

Riku and Sora nodded. They told the Chaser to stay put with Donald, Goofy, Rapunzel, and Flynn while them three go and find the keyhole. They scoured throughout the whole kingdom, including the palace. Many people thought they were crazy when they asked them if there was anything shaped like a keyhole located in the city. After almost two hours of searching, they hung their heads in defeat. They walked sulkily back towards the town's center when something shining caught Kailee's eye.

"Hey, look," Kailee, pointed her index finger at a corner in a locksmith's store. As they got a closer look, their keyblades appeared in their hands. They jumped back and connected their three keyblades. A blast of cold wind enveloped them as a burst of bright light escaped their keyblades. It connected with the small keyhole and they heard as though something locked. Their keyblades disappeared and so they headed towards the square.

"The keyhole has been sealed," Riku informed Donald and Goofy. "We have to go."

"You're leaving so soon?" Rapunzel said sadly.

"Yes. We have to go and live our dreams now," Kailee said, hoping Rapunzel would buy it.

"Are you sure you can't just stay a while longer?" Rapunzel pressured.

"I'm sorry, but we have to follow our dreams. You followed yours already. Being able to see the kingdom and maybe the lanterns tonight," Sora explained. "So, now, we have to chase our own. It's the only thing left to do."

"Well, since you're leaving, you're always welcome to come back," Flynn said, standing beside Rapunzel. "It was fun hanging out with you weirdos."

"Don't worry. We probably will," Kailee said. "And we're not weirdos. We're athletically inclined to fight evil beings, that's all."

"In any case, I really would want you to come back and visit," Rapunzel put in. "Hope to see you again."

After about a million hugs promises of returning, since Sora hated goodbyes, they headed on back to the gummi ship.

"What are we going to do with the Chaser?" Sora asked Kailee.

"We're bringing it along of course. It's our only way through the Shadow Crossers and the only way to get these things healed correctly before they fester," Kailee pointed to her cut. It wasn't exactly bleeding just burning fiercely. "And the Chaser told me earlier that the only way to heal them is to make a blood blond between a powerful Shadow Crosser."

_**Where exactly are we supposed to find the higher class Shadow Crossers?**_

Have you ever heard of a bayou?

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><p><strong>I know, I know. It was too rushed. Very little detail. Too long. I get it. I'm just nervous. I have a dance concert tomorrow and tomorrow is the new Vampire Diaries episode! Plus, I have to finish my Geometry CST tomorrow. And I won't be able to come home until 9:30. So, I'm pretty booked. In any case, please review! <strong>


	14. Distant Planets

**Distant Planets**

**What's up guys! For any of you who watch The Vampire Diaries, I hope some of you do, that makeout scene between Damon and Elena was awesome! So hot! I know this has nothing to do with Kingdom Hearts at all but still I am really happy about it! I just wish that July would come faster. We NEED Kingdom Hearts: DDD in English already! I know that there are a lot of scenes already put online, but some of them haven't been translated yet! I want to know what they're saying! And *SPOILER* I was a bit surprised and disappointed at how they showed that Kairi will now be fighting alongside Riku and Sora. I get it that she was strong enough to request Yen Sid to accept her offer, but it'll be a nice turn of events to have a girl fighting instead of the regular boy. But it would be nice to throw in another girl in there. I'm not saying that I'm jealous, maybe a little bit, but what about Riku? And then, what if Sora just sees Kairi as a friend and as nothing more? I'm just saying, I'm not bitching just stating my opinions. *Sigh* Well, here it is. I don't own. Square Enix and Disney do. I only own the Shadow Crossers, Kailee, Eliza, Kailee's family, Xylen, and Realm Chasers.**

**P.S. In the last chapter, when I said that Damon had two swords in his "songs", I really meant hands. Sorry, I was a bit unnerved writing the last chapter. :P**

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><p>Bayou? What the heck was a bayou? Kailee puzzled over this. The only that she was sure of was that it was some sort of place, but other than that she came up blank. The Chaser explained to them that a bayou was a sort of swamp where many dangerous creatures were. It said that they had to make sure that they watched out for voodoo tricksters and not get entranced by the city life as much. The Chaser also mentioned that they had to make sure that they found the Shadow Crossers before the end of Mardi Gras, because it was the only thing they visited the bayou for.<p>

"Will you be coming with us?" Kailee propped herself onto the gummi ship door. Everybody else had already said his or her goodbyes to the Chaser, except for, of course, Sora. He only promised to see the Chaser soon; he said goodbyes were only meant when you were never going to see someone again.

I cannot. I am needed here. I must make sure to keep the kingdom intact and stop any other Shadow Crossers that dare to come here.

"And Rapunzel and Flynn?" Kailee asked.

_I will also watch over them. It's just that I have to be secretive. I must only make myself known when they are in peril. In any case, I must keep this world safe._

"Are you sure you want to fight your fellow Shadow Crossers?"

_It wouldn't make much of a difference. Like I said before, the Shadow Crossers that have the red heart and black circle are beings made out of the darkness that oozes out from the cores of the worlds. Us, light beings, are normal creatures unraveled into supernatural beings after the keyhole to all worlds had been opened._

"We'll miss you," Kailee came up to the Chaser and wrapped her arms around the lavender-colored body.

_Don't worry. As your friend, the one with the brown spiky hair says there is no need for goodbyes._

"Thanks. Hope to see you soon," Kailee began to open the door.

"Kailee wait!" Rapunzel came running up to her, gasping for breath. Her golden hair had been braided with many magnificent and fluorescent flowers and was now just barely brushing the floor.

As Rapunzel regained her breath, she held out something to Kailee. "This is for you and friends from all of us at the Kingdom of Corona."

It was a dazzling pile of golden stones, shaped like diamonds. They gave off a sort of magical energy as Kailee held them in her hands. "You didn't have to give us this, Rapunzel. Really, this belongs to you."

"I insist you keep them Kailee! You wouldn't want to leave me without these stones. They're very powerful," Rapunzel gave off a dazzling smile. "Besides, we have plenty of those stones in a secret underground mine, according to some miners I talked to."

"Well, thank you very much Rapunzel," Kailee nodded. "I hope to see you soon."

"Us, too," Rapunzel gathered Kailee in her arms for one last hug. Kailee noticed that Rapunzel was getting teary eyed as she waved to her and the Chaser. Kailee felt a pang of sorrow. She knew that she would probably see this world again, but in her heart she wasn't so sure.

_**I'm sure that they'll be able to take care of themselves since we already closed the keyhole. Plus, they have the Chaser and that cat-like Shadow Crosser, too. Who knows how many more good Shadow Crossers there are out there**._

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><p>Just as the gummi ship rose up and departed from Kingdom of Corona, the hunched over figure watched as it flashed through the sky.<p>

"Too bad the Warnless had to die," the black hooded one joined him.

"Do not worry, Xylen," the hunched one curled his hand into a fist. "By the time they arrive to Mardi Gras, I'm sure that their injuries will consume them and they will fall into darkness

"But, Mater Xehanort, we need the girl to live if we want to make the connection," Xylen replied.

"Of course. I have ordered the Warnless that I have sent over to them to simply paralyze the girl, so that her injuries will not consume her completely, until it brings her to us," Xehanort said, the ghost of a smile playing on his lips.

"And until then?" Xylen seemed worried.

"You really shouldn't fret, Xylen. Everything will go as planned," Xehanort turned to him. "For now, we shall go to the world of New Orleans. Prepare the vessel."

"Yes, Master Xehanort," Xylen stopped in his tracks. " What about Terra and Eliza?"

"Keep them in the pit cells. They still need to learn their lessons," Xehanort turned around and followed Xylen into the portal to their ship.

* * *

><p>Kailee was bored. Not that she wasn't included into the stimulating conversations about Shadow Crossers, Heartless, and Nobodies with the boys, but she just didn't feel so right. She was, in fact, the only girl that was with them on their adventure at the moment. Although Kailee wasn't the type of girl to whine or complain, she at least wanted to talk to someone who could relate to her. She was really mixed up on how she felt about Sora.<p>

There were some physical attributes that she liked about him. For example how his crystal, ocean blue eyes could be easily lost in and how his spiky brown hair looked softer than a kitten's paw. Also, on how fit he was. She was definitely sure that he could run three miles without breaking a sweat and still have time to fight a horde of Heartless on the way. Kailee also was stricken by how he was emotionally. Sora was kind, caring, a perfect gentleman, and respectful. Although, he could be stubborn and gullible at times, he could still pack a punch with his words. He was the one that saved her a couple of times from drowning and her own emotions.

And then there was Riku. Even though Kailee and Riku hadn't really spent a lot of time together, she still felt drawn to him. Yet, he reminded Kailee of her sister. Riku and Eliza both were the ones that seemed to always have a deep, dark secret hidden inside of them. Also they both had the same taste in clothing.

**_Maybe, if I get my sister back, I just might have to introduce them to each other. After all, Eliza will need to find someone that won't try to destroy her family. She'll need a secret, dark angel to watch over her one day._**

"Kailee?" Sora waved his hand over her face, momentarily breaking her concentration on the attributes of the boys.

"What?" she said, annoyed.

"We're here!" Sora gestured towards the gummi ship's window.

""Welcome to New Orleans!" Donald said, a smile on his face.

They had landed on top of a warehouse building from the looks of it. Low-key buildings painted in light browns, faded yellows, and maroons surrounded them. A lot were squished together, resting on one another. In the streets below, a bunch of children were playing with each other, running down the streets, playing marbles, or hanging out on the stairs if their apartments. Small and humble restaurants were spotted by street corners and serving hordes of people at once. Just beyond, on the left, were poorer seeming houses made from wood and, down the center, a trolley. And on the right were grandeur mansions surrounded by fences and streets where bigwigs and their cars were driving around, flaunting them.

Other than that, the weather was sweltering. The sun was located high above, just in the center of the blue sky. A vast river stretched out under a bridge in the middle of the city. Not only that, but the sea was just on the outskirts of the city. The only thing that bothered anybody was the heat. It was pretty much the reason why everyone was sheltering themselves in the shade or in shops with huge windows.

"Wow!" Sora's eyes were wide. "Look at our clothes!"

Their clothes had done some modifying of their own to blend in to the New Orleans style. Kailee's hair had gone from long curly hair to a short mass of curly hair. She was wearing a knee length dress, the color black with small black heels. Adorning her neck was a long string of pearls and a red, knitted hat with a threaded rose on her head. Sora, Riku, Donald, and Goofy were dressed in pleated black suits with their jackets unbuttoned and their tie kind of unraveled hanging diagonally. Accompanying their outfits were black hats, which they had taken off and had them pressed to their chests.

"Now what?" Donald began tapping his foot.

"We should probably go look around and ask when and where Mardi Gras is," Goofy answered.

"How are we supposed to get down from here?" Kailee looked around.

"I think I know how!" a voice replied from below.

The group squatted down and looked over the side of the building. A girl with chocolate colored skin and a yellow dress with brown shoes looked up at them. She shielded her eyes from the sun. "You guys are a pretty weird looking bunch to me! What are you doing up there?"

"We just wanted to admire the view from up here!" Sora said.

"Well then how did you get up there then?" she said, her ponytail swaying in the slight breeze.

"We were running across the buildings and kind of got caught in a dead end here since it was a good place to see the town completely," Riku explained.

"I'll be right up to get you folks down!" the girl ran inside the building and began climbing some steps and coming out of an invisible stairway from the side of the building. The gummi ship was programmed to become unseen by people in other worlds, so the girl was the only one who didn't see it.

"You guys just get stranger the closer I get to you," the girl smiled. "I'm sorry. I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Tiana."

"We're Kailee, Sora, Donald, Riku, and Goofy," Kailee said.

"Nice to meet you all. Well come on then! Let's get you guys down and I'll invite you all to the restaurant down the street. My treat!" Tiana began leading them down the stairs. "There, we can chat about all of our lives."

* * *

><p>Mickey was stirring inside of the magical pod that Yen Sid had created for him to see if he could treat the would better. It had only gotten worse. The whole left side of his face was now infested with pulsing black veins, each time emitting a red glow. The three fairies had immediately gone into investigation on how to treat Mickey, by going from world to world asking anybody magical about their knowledge on Shadow Crossers. Yen Sid was also busy going over his entire hidden library, filled with spell books, looking for a spell to maintain the wound.<p>

Mickey had been having sudden nightmares. Every single one was of what had occurred a decade ago with Ventus, Aqua, and Terra. Each one ended with a terrifying image of slaughters of innocent people in all worlds. He woke up sweat beading down his brow. He struggled to maintain control of his own body but it had taken a mind of its own, the left side only. His left hand crackled with dark lightning and broke through the pod. He gasped at the sudden release of darkness and tried to fight against it by summoning his keyblade, willing it to shed some light onto the wound. Unfortunately, his left hand mirrored his action and summoned a keyblade of its own.

This keyblade was overcome with darkness. It was black with pulsing blue, electrical dots on the sides. On the end of it, instead of a crown like shape, it was a fanged arch opening. The handle was a dark purple with a red eye keychain hanging. The keyblades crossed and an explosion of light and dark combined was released. Mickey began to shy away from it but his body willed him to go on. As Mickey crossed the portal, he was immediately chained from all fours in the center of a black circle. Suddenly, an Illusionist emerged from out of the darkness and stared out at Mickey.

"What do you want?" Mickey challenged.

The Illusionist held up a small red case. "Your heart."

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><p><strong>DUN DUN DAN! I'm sorry, I'm horrible at suspense. But anyways, I'm worried about Mickey too! I don't want to kill him! He needs to be saved! Yet, it would be a plot twister to see Mickey half overcome by darkness. And, I will be bringing in stuff from Birth By Sleep. I don't know how or why, but I'll try to make it work. And even Organization XIII members who were defeated and restored might make appearances. Maybe Lea….. But who knows. Review please! <strong>


	15. Rallied Massacres

Rallied Massacres

**Hey guys! So I've been taking a couple of day's breaks because I've been doing some research to try and improve my writing in some way. I feel that my writing is pretty much rushed so I'll try and put a lot more detail to make the story a bit more in depth. So far, I've been trying to think about more scenes to make the story interesting, say as if I make Kailee get brutally tortured. I don't know. Just leave a review, please! Try and help my story!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own. Square Enix and Disney do. I only own Kailee, Kailee's family, Eliza, Realm Chasers, Shadow Crossers, Xylen, and the Warnless.**

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><p>Two pit cells had been joined together as one in the underground dungeon. They were each made of shining quartz with crystal water bars that drowned you if you even dared to try and escape. The interior was painted in snow white, still fresh. Two bodies were laying side by side, floating in midair, surrounded by a blue, electric cloud that maintained them in their spirit form. One of them, the boy, had a mullet of brown hair that ran down to his shoulders. His lips were a ceramic pink and he had long, fluttering, hazel eyelashes on his closed eyes. The girl had long, jet black hair, coal black eyelashes and russet brown lips. The girl was wearing a crimson, strapless dress that fell to her ankles. He was wearing a loose cerulean shirt with matching slack pants that turn white at the ankles. Their hands were placed lightly on their chests. They seemed to be at peace, but deep inside, their hearts were filled with turmoil and longing.<p>

It hadn't been this way always for the boy named Terra. He recalled that time when he was just laughing under a meteor shower with his two best friends, Ventus and Aqua. Terra had been antsy over his Mark of Mastery Exam so Aqua had made all three of them good luck charms, literally charmed. Even though they hadn't been made of actual seashells, Aqua knew that they could still be just as powerful as to make sure that no matter where they were; they would all still be connected together. Now, he wishes he 'd been able to see them one last time before being fully enveloped by Xehanort. Sure he had seen them in the Keyblade Graveyard, right before fighting Xehanort, but he had wanted to see them after as well because he thought they would've been able to defeat him. Too bad he had been much too ignorant to face the circumstances of having to fight Xehanort and now had ended up here, floating in midair, his spirit being the only thing he could keep that was part of himself.

Eliza's case was different. She had fallen madly in love with a mysterious boy who shared her passion for darkness. She had become a fan of it since she had undergone an accident that had ridden her of her popularity status at school. She had swerved off a cliff, from having spent the night drinking at a party, and had to get her face reconstructed. She was immediately kicked out of her group of friends and suspended from the swim team. Eliza had then dyed her hair black and changed her wardrobe completely after going into a sort of depression for 2 months. Soon, she was hanging with the lower class of the high school food chain, and fell for Xylen. After discovering that Kailee liked him as well, she ran off with him, making sure that she would never go back to her old life and start a new one with Xylen. Eliza had been tricked though. Once she had arrived to Xylen's house, an old man with a hunchback had confronted them. Eliza at first thought that the man was Xylen's grandfather or possibly his father. She never saw the light of day after because the old man had pierced his chest with a knife sort of thing and it was traveling inside her heart. Now, she was trapped, forever floating in her spirit form, the only thing she could still manage to keep control over.

Thankfully, Eliza and Terra could somehow communicate with each other through their spirit forms, since they were floating right next to each other.

_**Why did you run away?**_ Terra asked thoughtfully.

_I was jealous because my little sister, Kailee, was in love with Xylen. I thought I could solve it all out with running away with him, but I think it was what he had planned for me all along._

_**And so you ended up like me right?**_

_Pretty much. But tell me more about what happened to you. Do you still miss Ven and Aqua?_

**_Of course. They're the only ones that keep me fighting to try and regain control of my body. But we both know that our bodies have been occupied by Xehanort's heart._**

_I know. Who knows how many other people he has implanted his heart? Must be dozens more._

_**I just want to know if Ven and Aqua are still alive today. I think it's already been a few years since I've last seen them.**_

_I wish I could've said a proper goodbye to my little sister. Slapping her in the face wasn't the best way to depart from her. God, I hate myself for being such a jerk._

_**Don't punish yourself so harshly for that. You were mad, so you lashed out. Sill it probably wasn't the best choice to do. I also hope that you see your sister again. I'm not saying that you should apologize right away, even though it is for the best, just that family is probably the most important thing to worry about for you right now.**_

_I hope that you see Ven and Aqua as well, Terra. We're both going to need hope if we're ever going to be saved and returned to our bodies._

Xylen came by their cell to check on them. Apparently, Master Xehanort had been pretty precise to monitor the spirits now and then. He wasn't very trusting of the spirits just in case if they had somehow managed to slip through a sort of loophole and escape back and fuse with their bodies.

"Soon, you will be accompanied by five more spirits, longing to be in such a restful position as you two," Xylen smirked. "Too bad you both won't be here to see it."

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><p>The strange girl had been leading them around New Orleans for hours. Kailee's feet ached from having to walk in heels. The girl had told them that her name was Tiana, and that she had been brought up down by the humbler side of New Orleans. She was friends with one of the rich people in town, whose name was Charlotte La Bouff, who used to buy Tiana's mom's dresses that she had designed for Charlotte. She had also been kind enough to inform them that Mardi Gras was in three days, just enough time for them to rest up and buy costumes for the celebration. Also, that the building that she had rescued them from was soon to be hers and was going to be the most popular restaurant in New Orleans. After showing the group the neighborhood, Tiana invited them over to a popular café where she worked. It was her shift right now so she decided to leave them to talk amongst themselves while she took orders from other guests.<p>

"How are we ever going to repay her for helping us?" Kailee propped her head on her hands.

"Well, first off, do we have any money on us right now?" Sora searched his pockets. "I've got nothing."

"Me neither," Riku and Kailee said in unison.

"Why don't you make some money with your magic Donald?" Goofy pointedly suggested to Donald.

"I have a sort of spell to conjure up money, but there are too many people here," Donald responded.

"Why don't you take him outside?" Sora looked over to Goofy and Riku. "Me and Kailee need to talk about something."

Kailee openly blushed. She had a faint idea of what he could be talking about. Yet, she didn't want to talk about that almost kiss right now, especially since they were stuck in an existential crisis that could possibly end their lives. "No. I don't think Donald needs that many people to conjure that spell. Do you Donald?"

"W-well actually, I do need the magical energy of two others," Donald rubbed the back of his head.

"Great! So why don't you take Riku and Goofy?" Sora asked again. Donald nodded and went outside with Riku and Goofy. Kailee groaned. She wished she 'd been the one to help out Donald instead of having to talk with Sora.

"How's your cut?" Sora said, surprising Kailee.

"Still burning. Yours?" Kailee gestured to the angry red glow coming from her upper arm, barely visible under her black dress.

"Getting worse, I think," Sora unbuttoned his shirt, causing Kailee's eyes to roam over his toned chest, revealing a scorching scarlet scar, festering with black spots and pulsing along with his heart.

"That's horrible!" Kailee's eyes grew with worry. "We have to make that blood bond right away!"

"Relax Kailee. It's only a scratch. It only hurts when I breathe," said Sora, wincing a bit as he buttoned up his shirt.

"Come on, Sora. Right now is not the time to joke about this. It's serious and I'm worried about you," Kailee reached out to take Sora's hand. "I'm not going to let you die."

"Don't worry. I hope to hang in there like King Mickey. I wonder how he's doing," Sora sighed.

"Yeah. But, then again, Yen Sid is taking care of him. Plus, I'm making sure that we bring him back a strong, well Shadow Crosser that will make the blood bond with him, too," Kailee recalled the time when Mickey had contacted her back in the Kingdom of Corona in the woods. Also, of how the wound on his cheek had gotten worse by sprouting black veins.

"So, about what happened back in the Kingdom of Corona…" Sora began.

Kailee withdrew her hand from his. "I can't talk about this right now, Sora. It's too much of a delicate topic. Besides, we've only known each other for a few days. We can't be getting these sort of feelings, yet."

"I know. But I feel as though we are already connected by our hearts," Sora shyly scratched the back of his head, closed his eyes, and brought up a goofy smile. "And, to tell you the truth, I've never experienced feelings like this before. Not even with Kairi."

"But, Sora…" Kailee trailed off as Riku, Donald, and Goofy came barging in, pockets full of money.

"We did it!" Goofy exclaimed.

"Didn't take so long," Riku mentioned. "All it took was some magic and a few bits of our hair."

"Awesome!" Kailee said, her expression turning from enthusiastic to worrisome. "How's your scar, Riku?"

"I don't know if it's going to be able to last three more days, but I'm hanging in there," Riku gestured to his leg, where it gave off the same red glow as Sora's and Kailee's.

"I'm at least glad that Donald and Goofy came out unharmed," Sora put in. "We're going to need them if we ever get too week by the time we get to Mardi Gras."

"But first, let's get something to eat. I'm starving," Kailee said, frowning and holding her stomach. Everybody else agreed, since they hadn't eaten since Kailee had given them all a small handful of strawberries right before fighting the Warnless and save the Kingdom of Corona.

They each requested from Tiana, politely of course, five steaming plates of Gumbo, a specialty mentioned by Tiana. It consisted of meat, cows by the looks of it, a sort of thickening spice, celery, bell peppers, onions and a dash of hot sauce. Apparently, Tiana had been making this for years now, ever since she was a little girl. The group's mouths exploded with the different and juicy flavors of the rich gumbo. Sora and Riku had at least three helpings of the stew before plopping down on their chairs satisfied.

"So, how are we doing over here?" Tiana said as she picked up the emptied bowls of gumbo. She received incoherent mumblings from them all since they were too full to even talk.

"See? I knew you guys would like it!" Tiana said. "Anybody up for dessert?"

Sora raised his index finger. "To go please."

Tiana raced back into the kitchen to drop off the plates and began to make her famous dessert course, Beignets. They were small squares of deep-fried dough, which she sprinkled with sugar frosting and lathered with honey. She wrote down what the group owed and carefully placed the beignets inside of a brown paper bag.

"Alright, here are your beignets and the check," Tiana placed the bag on their table. "My shift will be done in a few minutes, and I have to get to a party. So, I'll probably see you guys tomorrow."

Tiana began to unravel her apron from around her waist and threw it back behind in the kitchen. "See you later Buford!"

"Have fun at the La Bouffs, Tiana! Don't get too caught up with them rich people!" Buford waved his spatula in the air at Tiana. She quickly hurried out of the café and ran down the street to catch the trolley to her house so she could change.

"Now what?" Riku asked.

"It looks like we have to go to a party," Kailee said. " You guys in?"

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><p><strong>So, if you're asking, Tiana is still going to turn into a frog only that the gang will follow up with them. And about Eliza and Terra's bodies, they're kind of caught up in the affairs of Xehanort. Yes, I am taking plots of Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance into my story. So if you guys get confused, I'll just explain in these author notes, I guess. I'm trying not to be so obsessed or sound desperate, but does anyone know what happened to Fahiru? <strong>


	16. Pearls Abroad

Pearls Abroad

**Hi everyone! Thank you to XesmeKH and MayonakaGirl14 for taking their time and reading my story! And, if she still reads my stories, I hope, Fahiru too! Anyways to clear up anything, yes I have read and seen almost ALL of the spoilers for DDD. I want it SO bad! If only July would get here faster! I'm literally put to tears on how emotional and beautiful Kingdom Hearts is. I know, I'm being a drama queen. In any case, here's chapter 16! Enjoy! Please Review! **

The party that Tiana had invited them too was not how Kailee, Sora, Riku, Donald, or Goofy expected it to be. She had forgot to mention that it was actually a welcoming party, celebrating the arrival of Prince Naveen of Maldonia and everyone was expected to wear a costume to the party. Many of the costumes were knit and a bit worn but they still were pretty out there, considering the fact that the majority of rich folks had come to this party. Fortunately, Tiana's friend, Charlotte, had offered to let them all borrow some masks she had stored for those guests who either forgot or didn't want to bring a costume. Kailee had picked a full facemask painted a rich gold covered in rubies and blue feathers. Sora's was an eye mask that was tinted a sky blue, hence his name's significance, with dark blue around the edges. Riku's was mysterious lavender with black at the edges. Donald's and Goofy's were both a sun yellow with green on the edges.

"What exactly are we doing here again?" Riku asked.

"We're here to have fun!" Kailee responded. "And to get to know these people better since we'll be here for a while. Plus, we could see if any of these people have seen anything suspicious lately."

"Are you sure that's the only reason?" Sora folded his arms, sending a weird look towards her.

"Well, actually I already want to get rid of this scar already," Kailee motioned to her arm. "Don't tell me you guys don't want to get rid of your scars."

"Yes, we want to get rid of them but we still have to wait three days to get them fixed," Riku said. "Who knows what could happen in all that time."

"Then maybe we could come across a hidden Shadow Crosser," Kailee let her eyes sweep over the guests. "Let's just hope that it's a good one."

"How about we all stick by Tiana," Sora put in. "She is standing over there. And she's giving out free beignets!"

Everybody rushed over and grabbed a handful of beignets. They were a bit hungry, even if they had had a lot of gumbo. So far, the party was becoming very boring. Nothing interesting was going on, not even anything suspicious to occupy their time. They couldn't talk to Tiana at all because she was constantly running in and out of the massive kitchen to prepare more beignets because they were quickly becoming a crowd favorite. The band was forced to play slow classical music that only killed the mood. Even Charlotte, the hostess, was getting anxious herself because Prince Naveen hadn't arrived yet.

Everything came crashing down a half hour later. Charlotte had gotten into a fit, saying that her Prince Charming was never going to come to her. Tiana had been quick to try and reassure her but Charlotte ignored her and began to wish on the star. At first, Tiana kept telling Charlotte that wishing on a star will not help her get Prince Naveen there on time, but by a miracle, he did arrive. Late, of course. Charlotte imeediately dabbed at her cheeks and cleaned herself up to look presentable. Tiana, later on, received some horrible news from a pair of bankers, in a ridiculous horse outfit, that someone had outbid her. She had exactly three days to produce more money than that person, by Mardi Gras, had offered so she could claim back the building that Tiana had rescued Kailee, Sora, Riku, Donald and Goofy from. She began to protest and purposefully grabbed at their costume only to fall back and crash into her beignet station. Kailee and Charlotte had managed to help her get up and they both dragged her up to Charlotte's room.

"You know I could help you out with upsetting outfit you have on, sweetie," Charlotte openly mocked Kailee's outfit.

"Really?' Kailee had taken offense to the insult, but in any case, she knew that, now, whatever world she came into, it would set a certain type of outfit for her. Whether she liked it or not.

"Certainly! Why I can let you borrow, just for tonight, a most remarkable dress that I have already worn so you don't have to worry about it," Charlotte suggested.

"Great! Then have at it," Kailee responded. While Charlotte handed Tiana a beautiful blue dress, she also drew from her closet a most splendid dress. Kailee had never even seen a dress like this before, and certainly wouldn't in her lifetime. It was a bright, sun yellow color that shimmered in the light of the room. The dress was long sleeved with a slit open up at the bottom. Along the collar line, a cascade of orange that streamed out through the entire dress, complimenting the yellow. Charlotte pulled out a pair of small yellow pumps and set them by the dress.

"It's beautiful," Kailee said, taking in the entire dress.

"That's why I chose it for you. I can see the way that that boy with the odd hair looks at you," Charlotte winked at Kailee. "Besides, you can't make a great appearance for a guy and not look saucy at the same time."

"But…" Kailee stumbled.

"Don't worry about it, sugar. In fact, you may keep it. I've already worn it before," Charlotte replied.

"Are you sure you want to give up a dress to a complete stranger?"

"You're not a total stranger. Tiana told me about you, Kailee while we were setting up in the kitchen," Charlotte looked over the balcony. "She also mentioned that you're parents went missing a while back and I must say that I am terribly sorry and know exactly how you feel. I lost my mom pretty young as well."

"I'm sorry you had to go through that, too."

"Well, it's not a big deal. Now go change! I want to see you work that little number!" Charlotte turned her attention back to her reflection in the mirror as Kailee went to go change.

"Oh, Tia, honey, did you see the way he danced with me? A marriage proposal can't be far behind," Charlotte said, obviously talking to Tiana who was just finishing up. "Thank you, Evening star! You know, I was taught to think that wishing on stars was just for...Babies an' crazy people."

As Charlotte finished refreshing her face with newly applied makeup and mascara, Tiana appeared, looking entirely like a princess. She was wearing a light blue, strapless dress that ran down to her feet. She showed off with it a pair of gloves on her arms, the same color, that reached up almost covering both of her arms. It shimmered in the dim lighting and was accompanied by a white necklace, with a blue, circle-shaped charm hanging on her neck.

"Look at you! Aren't you just as pretty as a magnolia in May?" Charlotte commented, fishing a matching crown to place on Tiana's head. "Seems like only yesterday we were both little girls, dreaming our fairy tales dreams. And tonight they're finally coming true!"

Charlotte fixed her dress, making sure she wasn't showing off too much to attract more boys. "Well...back into the fray! Wish me luck, you two. And Kailee, when you're done dressing you can come down and join us in the party! Oh, Naveen..."

Charlotte left, slamming the door behind her; Kailee emerged after changing and looked at herself in the mirror. She gasped at how much she had changed. A few weeks ago she would've just seen a fifteen year old girl, struggling to accept the fact that darkness did exist, barely surpassing depression, accompanied by a blank stare, a pale face, and weary eyes. Now, after everything she had been through in the past couple of days, she finally saw herself as normal. She saw herself, almost like a woman, with fierce eyes, a healthy glow accompanying her skin, and a lighter feel to her emotions.

"You look beautiful," Tiana said quietly, looking at Kailee.

"Thank you," Kailee answered. "You look beautiful, too."

"If only…"

Kailee chewed her lip. "Are you going to go back to the party?"

Tiana shook her head. "I just need some time alone. Can't do that with a crowd of people hanging over me."

Kailee understood and walked out of Charlotte's room. She felt like it was partially her fault that Tiana wasn't able to buy that building that they were on this morning to turn it into a magnificent restaurant. She didn't like it when other people were sad because what other people felt, affected her as well. She was in a bit of a sour mood herself since Charlotte had a bit rudely insulted her attire. It wasn't her fault that this world hadn't picked rich clothing for her when she arrived.

As she trekked down the stairs, a figure was standing still in the commotion of the crowd dancing. It had been staring at her the moment that Kailee had arrived at the party. Now, it had completely caught her attention. Kailee shook in fear as she instantly recognized that figure.

"Eliza?"

**Guys! I'm super stuck! I don't know what to do! Usually, I've never gotten this far into stories! I usually make a last ditch effort, and abandon the whole thing! Right now, I need help! Don't be afraid to use any type of idea to incorporate into the story. I don't care how wild or reckless your ideas are, I just need insight from others! Please, it would be appreciated! **


	17. Cold Blood

**Cold Blood**

**Hi everyone! So, I just wanted to thank MayonakaGirl14, XesmeKH, and X Namine's Twin X for reviewing! I love you guys for taking time to read my story! It brings me to tears! :') Anyways, I will take your guys' ideas in check. I will use every possible idea you throw at me and more if my mind can come up with more stuff. And, can any of you recommend me any good videos about Sora, Kingdom Hearts, or any really good stories that center around Sora and Kairi or an OC, maybe?**

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT own any of the characters. I only own Kailee, Kailee's family, Eliza, Xylen, Realm Chasers, and Shadow Crossers.**

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><p><em><strong>No, it can't be Eliza. She's supposed to be off frolicking with Xylen. Or back in the hellhole that my family was captured in.<strong> _

Kailee took a few deep breaths as she descended the stairs. A crowd of onlookers gazed upon her as she flashed her dress to them. Most of all, the Eliza figure approached her, taking swift steps slipping through the crowd. The Eliza figure stepped up and confronted Kailee, giving her a cold yet business like stare. That's when Kailee knew that something was suspicious about Eliza. She didn't give stares likes these. She usually gave a plain bored one, she didn't have enough courage to stare someone down because she would always lose in the end. Plus, her eyes, instead of a silvery gray, they were a scorching yellow rimmed with black. Kailee barely retained a shiver of fear as she faced her "sister".

"Hello, Eliza," Kailee wavered.

"Sister," Eliza responded coldly.

"What are you doing here?"

"Not a very nice way to appreciate that your sister is still alive now isn't it?" Eliza cocked her head to the side.

Kailee crossed her arms. "You're not my sister."

As Kailee began to walk past Eliza, She quickly grabbed hold of Kailee's arm. "I wouldn't do that if I were you."

"What did you think I was going to do?" Kailee forcefully pulled her arm away from Eliza.

"Let's cut the friendly banter and explain why we're here," Eliza demanded. "You first."

Kailee contemplated for a second. Would she really risk telling this imposter, who posed as her sister, what she really was here for? That she was here to possibly extract the darkness that was now invading her body along with Sora's and Riku's? And if she did, would she even do anything about it? Kailee just couldn't take that risk. If she wound up telling Eliza about the unforgiving wound that could kill her, she could stop Kailee in her tracks and make sure that she would never be able to bond with a Shadow Crosser. Kailee would be risking a whole lot more if she told Eliza about Sora or Riku. Who knows what kind of things this Eliza-person would wind up doing to them both. Then comes the fact that it was her duty to save all worlds and seal all keyholes. Plus, the connection that she had to make with this other person, after all.

Kailee chose her words carefully. "To make some new friends and have some fun. You?"

Eliza chuckled darkly. "You can make up some pretty decent lies. In any case, I came to charm a couple of boys, have fun too." She took a look around. "That particular one with the spiky brown hair and blue eyes is definitely on my list."

Kailee barely suppressed a gasp when Eliza made her reference about Sora. Eliza flashed a smug smile over at Kailee as she made her way over to Sora. Kailee was seething with anger and an unfamiliar feeling that also boiled up inside of her. She, so badly, wanted to go and claw Eliza's face off to see who had higher power in their family. Riku had been casually speaking to an octopus man when he had seen the black-haired beauty. He assumed that she wasn't from here since she hadn't been wearing a costume, only a black shirt with black tight pants and similar black lace up boots. He admired her as she had swiftly made her way over to Kailee who was wearing a stunning dress that completely complimented her figure. Only then did he notice that something was off about this peculiar girl.

As she had finished talking with Kailee, she briefly locked eyes with him. He was met with piercing yellow eyes with black rimmed around the edges. They struck him to his very soul. She casually brushed past him, when he caught an alluring scent that stopped his train of thought. Darkness. He turned briefly to see that she now was nearing Sora, clearly intent on winning him over. Kailee walked up to him, her cheeks flushed an angry red.

"Figured you would see something wrong about her as well," Riku commented, breaking Kailee out of her angry stupor.

"I just can't believe it," Kailee said, shocked. "Why would she out of all people, be here?"

"Who is she?" Riku asked, curiously.

_I should probably tell him about the missing fact that I had forgotten to tell Mickey. I just hope he believes me._

"She's Eliza. My older sister," Kailee explained.

Riku gave her a confused look. "I thought you only had one sister."

"Not really. I have two, in fact," Kailee turned towards him. "Let's just say that something happened in the past, and it broke the bond between sisters. Now, I hate her guts."

"Figures."

"What do you mean?"

Riku folded his arms. "Well, since the fact that you're clearly jealous of her because she's over there, flirting with Sora."

"I am not jealous."

"But, only a jealous person would say that they're not jealous."

Kailee threw her arms up. "Ok, look. We have to find out what she's doing here. She's clearly up to no good."

"Yeah, because I could smell darkness on her," Riku said.

Kailee raised an eyebrow. "You can smell darkness?"

"Remember what I told you about how I got a bit too involved with the darkness?"

"Yeah. You said that you practically fell in darkness but under good intentions because it was only to save Sora because he had to regain his memory."

Riku nodded. "After that, I could distinguish what darkness and light each smelled like. For example, I can tell it's darkness because it smells strong like cinnamon where you almost choke on the intensity. In the case for light, it's like vanilla for girls and for guys it's more of a chocolate type."

"Huh. Well what do we do about-" Kailee was cut short as Eliza and Sora approached them.

"What are we talking about over here?" Eliza asked.

"Just about how distasteful the costumes are at this party," Kailee lied. She looked over to see that Riku was keeping himself from choking on Eliza's scent. As Kailee tried to smell Eliza, she found out that Riku was right about that strong, sharp cinnamon smell emanating from Eliza. All she got from Sora was that chocolaty smell coming from him.

"You are right. For rich folks, they couldn't of settled with better costumes," Eliza perked up as she heard the tone of song change into a slower one. She quickly grabbed hold of Sora's hand. "Come on Sora. Let's dance."

Kailee's blood boiled with fierce rage as she witnessed Eliza and Sora dancing together. Riku was watching her face get redder by the minute. He too was a bit jealous that Sora got to dance with her, but was smart enough to hide it. He knew that he could never be able to love someone that was oozing darkness, even if he had already been there and back; he wouldn't take any chances.

_I have to do something about this._

Kailee glanced at the oncoming crowd on the dance floor. Since the tempo had risen up a bit, they were constantly exchanging partners. "Come on, Riku. Let's have some fun."

Kailee dragged a reluctant Riku out to the dance floor. They were dancing a cross between the waltz and a strange jig. It kind of reminded her of that strange dancing that they did back in the Kingdom of Corona. She came up with the idea to constantly swap partners until she across Sora and Eliza, who were clearly avoiding the whole swapping partners situation. Kailee made clear to mention to Riku about her plan. He simply went along with it until they arrived to their destination.

"Mind if I cut in?" Kailee quickly stole away Sora before giving Eliza a chance to respond. She left a very angry Eliza with a determined Riku on the dance floor.

"You look amazing," Sora said, clearly noting Kailee's annoyance.

"Save it. What did you think you were doing with her?" Kailee fumed.

"I was being nice," Sora answered.

"Didn't look like it because you were clearly drooling all over her."

"Excuse me? I did what I had to do. I was only trying to be nice as I always am. Besides, she was only interested in talking about you."

Kailee's ears perked up. "What do you mean by that?"

"She kept asking these weird questions. She asked about how we were supposed to heal our inconspicuous wounds or how we were supposed to travel to worlds, etc."

"How could she know that kind of stuff?" Kailee pondered. "She's never been anywhere farther than the mall."

"Who is she, Kailee?" Sora asked, confused.

"She's my older sister, Eliza. She wasn't really mentioned by Mickey because I never told him on the fact that I didn't feel like talking about her," Kailee explained. "To cut things short, she followed the path to darkness by following this guy who was dark himself."

"Why didn't you mention this before?"

"Because I never thought it was worth mentioning since my life is already messed up as it is."

All of a sudden, the band picked up into a jazzier tune as the drum player banged on his drums. A loud shriek was heard from the crowd and everyone turned their heads to see who dared to ruin the music. It was Charlotte; only she was trying to grab at something that had gotten into her dress, obviously a living creature. She stumbled and tripped, landing on her face as her dress' arc revealed itself. A pair of green, slimy frogs slipped out from under, in which Charlotte emitted a loud scream, causing them to become afraid and run off.

Kailee tried to see if Eliza was still hanging around only to be brutally disappointed at her sister's disappearance. A dazed Riku came to them, his face pale.

"What happened Riku?" Kailee asked, worried.

"Eliza said horrible things to me," Riku grew paler.

"What horrible things?"

"She said that I only had a few minutes left before I…before I…" Riku trailed off as he fell to the ground.

"Riku!" Kailee and Sora cried out in unison. Between the commotions of the crowd, their screams were barely heard.

"Sora, go get Donald and Goofy. We need them here now!" Kailee managed to say, trying to block the crowd from stepping on Riku. She hastily located the burning scar on his calf and barely suppressed a cry. I had seeped deep into his veins, turning them a deep violet with red. Black swarms of creatures were swirling around in his muscles, causing them to spasm now and then. The most terrifying feature was that, as Kailee opened Riku's eyes, they had turned an emotionless pallid white. Sora came rushing to them, accompanied by Donald and Goofy who had been caught up in the snack table, feasting on the delicacies.

"What happened?" Goofy said.

"The injury got to him and now he's not responding," Kailee answered.

"Have you tried using a healing spell?" Donald suggested. Just as he was about to perform the spell, the pair of frogs ran right by them.

"Help!" One of them cried out. At first, Kailee thought that her ears had been deceiving her, only to notice that the rest of the group had heard them too. It also had a familiar ring to it, almost like it was coming from…

"Tiana?" Sora burst out, confirming Kailee's thoughts.

"Do you guys think it's really her?" Kailee asked them all.

"It must be. Let's follow her!" Sora said, already going after them.

"Wait!" Kailee exclaimed. "What about Riku?"

"Donald do you think you can whip up a spell that can make Riku's body float simultaneously to follow us?" Sora directed at Donald.

Donald had briefly been in a trance before answering Sora's question. "Already done."

A silver cloud had swept up Riku and lifted him up, at least three feet off the ground. He briefly groaned as he was being lifted, but then slipped back into unconsciousness.

"Are you sure he's going to be okay Donald?" Kailee said, worriedly.

"I think so. I put a healing spell on the cloud too so it'll ease the pain a bit," Donald answered.

"Great. Let's go!" Sora said.

The group was quick on their feet as they followed the trail of broken dishes, shattered cups and confused guests. Tiana and the other frog had already gotten quite ahead considering the giant dog that was after them. Sora was ahead of them all, trying to not trip over the guests that had been thrown over and apologizing to them beforehand for all the commotion the pair of frogs had done. Just as they had thought that the frogs had come at the end of their rope, they had tangled themselves in a group of balloons and were now being lifted into the night sky.

"Wait!" Kailee yelped, trying to catch their attention.

"Help!" Tiana said, once again as she was carried away toward the bayou.

"Now what are we going to do?" Goofy said, scratching his head.

"We have to keep following them. Tiana did save us. We owe her that much," Kailee implied. "Come on! Let's go to the bayou!"

_**What have I gotten myself into?**_

Kailee looked over to see a vast forest, vaguely reminding her of the path that led her to the secret cave in her world. She quickly shook her head, trying not to remember all of the horrible things that had occurred in her world. It was just as the Chaser had described. A swamp filled with many trees and wet moss covered the entire expanse. Every now and then they would come across a dirty, brown lake that swarmed with mosquitoes, that tried to get at Sora, and Kailee who constantly tried to swat them away. Thankfully, Riku had been lifted up over the treetops, following them to try and search for Tiana. Kailee had tried calling out Tiana's name but all she got was the murmur of crickets. Just as they were about to give up, a tree with a gaping hole in the center lighted up. Kailee was about to look into it, but Sora told her to stay back. He didn't want her to get hurt, especially because she was important to their survival. Inside, found two frogs, deep asleep, curled up in a human like position.

"I found them!" Sora whispered, excited.

Everyone sighed in relief. "I guess we should rest up here for the night if we're going to stay with them," Kailee suggested.

"Where exactly?" Sora said. "There's not really a place to sleep on."

"I've got it," Donald said, waving around his staff.

Two shelters, both the color chocolate brown, so as to blend in somehow, appeared right before them on the edge of the lake that they had come across when they found Tiana. Riku was now coming down towards them, still asleep, yet his face was scrunched up in pain.

"We'll keep Riku in our shelter so I can keep an eye on him," Donald assured Sora and Kailee.

"So you're saying we have to share a shelter?" Kailee gulped.

"Yeah, but don't worry. They're completely safe to sleep in," Donald said, already going into his shelter with Goofy and Riku's body following. Kailee awkwardly went into the shelter opposite theirs with Sora trailing behind. It was incredibly extravagant. The inside was painted a fluorescent orange with sun yellow lines crossing in between the walls. On the left side were two beds, each one covered in blue satin sheets and pillows. Conveniently, Donald had placed a bathroom right in the far left corner and a small kitchen on the right. Plus, there was a convenient light switch that turned on a multicolored lamp hanging from the ceiling.

Kailee immediately kicked off her shoes and crawled into the nearest bed. Sora took his time though, even if he was utterly exhausted. Kailee was already drifting off just as he was getting into bed. The last thing she saw was an endless sea of blue just before sleep claimed her.

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><p>"What do you mean my heart?" Mickey yelped, struggling against the chains.<p>

"Master Xehanort was clear. He specifically asked for your heart," the Illusionist responded, the red box in his hand opening. It released a thousand red tendrils, anxious to grab onto anything with a heart. It sought out Mickey's and injected themselves into his skin. He screamed out in agony as they began to rip out his heart, breaking arteries and veins.

"You may stop the torture session now. His wound hasn't reached him entirely yet," a masculine voice said from the darkness.

"Master Xehanort wanted his heart, now," the Illusionist responded, the red box retreating its tendrils.

"Well, Master Xehanort said it could wait," the voice said, impatiently. "He's busy dealing with Kailee right now. Besides, I'm supposed to interrogate the prisoner. To see what he knows about her."

The Illusionist retreated, mumbling incoherent sayings as it passed through a black portal.

"Who are you?" Mickey managed to say, barely clinging to his life as his body slowly tried to repair itself.

The voice stepped out to reveal a young man. He had short, blond hair with side-swept bangs that accompanied his fully black eyes. He was extremely pale; his veins were even showing, pulsing in grotesque blues, purples, and reds. He was currently wearing a full on black robe, with red lining the bottom and Xylen written on his sleeve.

"I am truly sorry. My name is Xylen. I am sure you have heard about me before," Xylen responded.

"What of it?" Mickey spat out.

"A bit feisty, now aren't we?" Xylen laughed. "You see, I will try and make this as painless as possible, if you are willing."

"I will tell you nothing!" Mickey said.

"Now, I wouldn't be so sure of that," Xylen replied, grabbing onto the chains that held Mickey together. He strapped all four chains onto a device and pushed a button on a far, unseen wall. They began to wind up and pull on Mickey's arms and legs, almost as if it were trying to tear his arms off. Mickey screamed, as the pain was increasing each time the device pulled at his arms and legs. Xylen pushed the button again, stopping the device from cleanly ripping Mickey's arms and legs off.

Xylen chuckled to himself. "The fun is just getting started."

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><p><strong>OUCH! That sounded like it hurt! I wanted this chapter a bit longer because I left a cliffhanger a couple of chapters ago and I wanted to continue with Mickey's torture. I should mention that someone will save him, but it's not anyone you would expect. And no, it's not Kailee, Riku, Sora, Donald, or Goofy. Oh and about Riku, *gets teary eyed* I don't want him to be enveloped in darkness again! Oh dear, what have I done? But, in any case, I wanted to build up the suspense. Oh, and what do we think about the tension with Sora and Kailee sleeping together? *wink, wink* I am NOT putting anything sexual in this story. If I was, then I would've changed this to an M rated story. But in any case, if you want you can answer my questions and review!<strong>

**Sora (after running in trying to interrupt me): To set the record, I did NOT sleep with Kailee. **

**Me: Sure, Sora. SURE.**

**Sora: I didn't! You said that there were two beds!**

**Me: Now when did I say that? ;P **


	18. Fragments of Sorrow

Fragments of Sorrow

**Ok, just to make it clear about why I didn't update right away, I was on computer lockdown. Plus because I want to make my chapters longer than usual, I have to chew on it for a while. Anyways, thank you guys SO much for reading my story! Every time I see a review, it pushes me forward and encourages me to keep writing! I hope you keep reviewing!**

**Sora: Of course they'll review! **

**Me: Aw, thanks Sora! **

**Sora: I also heard that two certain people have a crush on me? ;)**

**Me: Oh yeah? Who told you that?**

**Sora: I just know. Ain't that right, MayonakaGirl14?**

**Me: Hey! No persuading authors to review my story! That's just mean!**

**Sora: I wasn't trying to be mean! I was just making a reference that I'm available.**

**Me: What about Kailee?**

**Sora: …. Just write your story! You can't get distracted- Oh look a butterfly! *Runs off to catch it***

**Me: -_-**

**Disclaimer: I don't own. Square Enix and Disney do. I only own Kailee, Kailee's family, Xylen, Eliza, Shadow Crossers, and Realm Chasers. Enjoy! (And please, MayonakaGirl14, I wasn't trying to be mean. I apologize if this offended you, at all. It was crude humor. I will reprimand Sora in this chapter for being mean and blurting out stuff.)**

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><p>The nightmares were unbearable. Each one filled with horrible monstrosities too grotesque to describe in full. Every single one though, was filled with the capture of Kailee's family being captured. A Shadow Crosser had infiltrated Kailee's house in the middle of the night. It was not like an Illusionist or a Warnless. It was much more than that. It had had a human body but turned inside out with gray veins trailed up and down its body. Jagged spikes jutted out from its back, making it seem hunchbacked, as it had walked by grabbing her parents and sister, dragging all three of them by their legs, unconscious. When it had finally come to get Kailee, she got a clear image that would forever stay glued into her mind. The thing's face had creamy white eyes with Marissa's face attached to it. She had emitted a loud scream when the Marissa thing had knocked her out.<p>

Kailee awoke screaming, a thin sheen of sweat coating her forehead. She was high on adrenaline, her heart hammering in her chest. Her scream had awoken Sora who was now sitting upright in his bed, his sapphire blue eyes staring at her, wide-eyed. She broke down, then, not caring that he would see her like this. She had been strong for quite enough. Sure, she had cried when Sora and Riku had almost died, but it had been only for a short time, after the kind Shadow Crosser had saved them. Now, because of those terrifying flashbacks of her family's capture mixed with those frightening encounters with other Shadow Crossers, had tumbled down her walls. She couldn't handle something like this. Right now, she looked as pathetic as all the things she was hiding from everyone.

Sora instantly reacted after staring at Kailee for a few seconds. He cautiously made his way over to her, kneeling before her. Sora carefully rested his hands on hers, slowly detaching them from her face.

"Did you have a nightmare?" Sora asked, a concerned look on his face.

Kailee nodded. "I-it was horrible, Sora."

"Do you want to talk about it?" Sora, with his thumb, rubbed circles on Kailee's hands.

Kailee shook her head. "They're too painful." She quickly wiped her eyes and forced a small smile. "I'm sorry I woke you up."

"Don't worry about it. I was pretty much already awake," Sora reassured her. "Too many Shadow Crossers to worry about."

"Tell me about it," Kailee voiced. "What do you think will happen to Riku?"

"I hope that we find one of the higher up Shadow Crossers before he completely escapes from us," Sora sighed.

"I just can't help thinking this is all my fault."

"It's not your fault. This was all bound to happen, eventually."

"But, it all comes down to hurting everyone I've grown close to in the end, doesn't it?" Kailee persisted.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that once the Shadow Crossers began to pop up in my world, they took out everyone I cared for," Kailee took a deep breath. " Then it began to actually take form of them. When one particular Shadow Crosser had come to capture my family and me, it had Marissa's face on it. And now, who knows what's going on in other worlds."

That's why we have to go and seal all of the keyholes. Mickey told us that all lives would be restored and placed back to their original state," Sora indicated.

"Yeah but what if we never make it to all worlds that need help?" Kailee detached her hands from Sora. "And what about you and Riku? Have you ever taken into context what would occur to you both with these wounds? And now that Riku has been almost completely killed or worse, what do you think will happen to you since your cut is so close to your heart?"

Sora sat beside Kailee. "There's always a way to fix everything. I mean, that there is a way to cure this, like the Chaser said. We just have to look for them."

"That's one way to look at it. I just hope that we can find those Shadow Crossers before it's too late," Kailee contested.

Just as Sora was about to answer, a far off cry called them to their senses. It sounded far off, not intentionally coming from Riku's shelter, thankfully. All the same, Kailee opened her door, breathing in the damp smell of the swamp. Donald and Goofy were at the door as well, staff and shield at the ready. They were met with a white light shining in the woods, a few meters away. Coincidentally, Donald and Goofy seemed frozen, as if they became paralyzed on sight. Kailee turned to see Sora frozen as well. All six of their eyeballs turned completely white and their limbs carried them mechanically towards the shimmering light.

Kailee stood there stupefied. Sora pushed roughly past her with his elbow, managing to wind her. She landed on one knee, clutching at her stomach trying to regain her composure. After a few seconds of trying to calm her breathing, she summoned the Black Wave, now changed into a crystalline form thanks to Rapunzel, and used it to hoist herself up. Sora, Donald and Goofy had come together, standing side by side, slowly walking to their destination. Kailee ran up to them and tried with all her strength to push them back.

"Guys! Snap out of it!" Kailee grunted. "This isn't like you to act like this!"

They completely ignored her, their limbs only pushing them further. Kailee soon gave out, landing on the left. She walked up and tried to wave her arm across their eyes. Not one of them even blinked. She stamped her feet on the ground desperately. She decided to go against all odds and try to make out the source in front of her. It still seemed a bit far away, which gave Kailee enough time to analyze the trio's actions. Donald and Goofy seemed entirely drawn to it, their heads jutting out farther than their legs would carry them. Sora, however, was at level with his legs, seeming to fight whatever was drawing them to it. Kailee gazed back to see if Tiana, the other frog, or if Riku had gone up to follow them, too. Luckily, Riku was still on his cloud thing and the frogs were staying in their log. Kailee caught up to Donald, Sora, and Goofy again because looking back caused her to fall behind.

_Whatever this is, I have to save Sora, Donald, and Goofy. I hope I'll remember the few spells that Mickey and Donald had taught me in the gummi ship. I'll maybe even get to try out some moves Sora and Riku taught me, too._

The white light source revealed itself a few minutes later. It had led them to a river, much nicer than the ones in the bayou. Yet, the thing that had entranced Sora, Donald, and Goofy was not something Kailee expected. It was a siren. By the looks of it, the only one there. She was casually brushing her hair with a shell comb, singing a harmony, while perched on a rock. Only her backside was visible, which was covered in a cascade of black hair. Her skin was a pale white, contrasting from the river. Her tail though, put Kailee on full alert. It had black spikes running across it, tipped with an even darker color that seeped into the river. A small tattoo, that had escaped Kailee's eyes, was on her back, the dark Shadow Crosser symbol.

Sora, Donald, and Goofy had already gone into their river, the water reaching up to their waists. The siren suddenly stopped brushing her hair, feeling the presence of the trio ripple through the water. Kailee hid herself behind a tree watching the scene unfold. The siren placed her comb on the rock and began to turn. Her face itself was entrancing. She had leaf green eyes, speckled with red. Her lips were full and a slight crimson. The siren was wearing a shell-top, the color of starfish. She looked to see what her prey would look like today. She smiled pearly whites when her eyes traveled over Sora and were a bit disappointed when she saw Donald and Goofy. She sighed but still was able to accept them somehow. She placed both hands on the rock as her features transformed.

Her lips opened up more, cutting across her cheeks revealing a full set of sharp fangs. Her nose was now flattened into her face, only leaving out two slits. Her eyes colored themselves a complete white, just like the boys' had. Her hair now was flying up all over her face, shining a blood red. Her tail had come out of the water, as sharp as a hook, ready to sink itself into Sora.

_Not today._

Kailee took a brave step forward, facing the siren. The siren had sniffed her out and gave out a loud hiss as it turned toward Kailee. Kailee only held up her keyblade, ready to fight. The siren slammed her fist down on the rock, smashing it into bits. Kailee shivered inwardly but stood her ground. The siren didn't move; it only grabbed the nearest thing, which was Sora. The siren threw her head back and sank her fangs into Sora's neck.

_**No!**_

Kailee ran up the siren and slammed her foot into its face. The siren, although hurt, still hung on to Sora, clearly not intent on letting him go. Kailee tried again, uneventfully, six times before the siren decided to fight back. The siren's tail was now sending sharp thorns straight at Kailee. Kailee used the Black Wave to her advantage and sent each thorn flying into the river. The siren had fully crawled her way to the small beach and grabbed Kailee's foot. She yanked hard and sent Kailee onto her back. The siren began to drag Kailee to the river, intent on drowning her or, worse, sink her fangs into her. Kailee, regaining her poise, swiped at the siren with the Black Wave. It had made a wide gash where the siren's eyes were, causing it to let go. Kailee stood up as quickly as she could and side kicked the siren in the stomach. The siren sank back into waves, still clutching at her eyes.

"Blizzaga!" Kailee yelled, pointing her keyblade.

A flash of blue flew out of the Black Wave, encasing the siren in hard-packed ice. Kailee stepped up to it, looked at it one more time, and cleanly smashed its head off with the keyblade. The head, now smashed into pieces, melted into the river along with the rest of its body. It left behind a small piece of paper, surprisingly dry. It read:

_Dearest Syra,_

_Make it clear to them that we are the ones on top._

_We are not to be muddled with. _

_Make sure to take care of the one with the spiky hair._

_If any more come, just finish them off as well. _

_Also, take care to avoid the girl._

_She has much power inside of her and is dangerous if fought with._

_If you manage to come across her, be wary._

_She does have weaknesses, after all._

_-Xylen, overlord of Shadow Crossers_

Kailee crumpled up the paper. "That bastard…"

Xylen was getting much too powerful for his own good. Kailee was now aware of his knowledge of her quest and of how he was planning to get at her. The fact that he now called himself ruler of these creatures was not a good thing. He was always the outcast of school, never to be socialized with because then he would make you one of his followers. Plus, he would always be seen in dark alleyways, messing with some girl or trying to look scary by staring at random people who crossed by the alley that he was in. Kailee was wary of him when Eliza had started to date Xylen. Yet, Xylen had managed to get under her skin and she was then entranced. She found out too late of his plans a while later.

Kailee woke from her train of thought as she heard Sora moan. She rapidly sprinted over to him, greeted by a large puddle of fresh blood at her feet. Sora was clutching at his neck, trying to stop the flow of blood, only knowing that it was useless.

"Donald! Come help!" Kailee said, supporting Sora's head under her.

Donald, after breaking from his trance, had been almost drowning, yet Goofy had managed to save him. He was flopping over to them now, panting and landed on his knees in front of them.

"Curaga!" Donald waved his staff around Sora. A green light shot out and coated Sora's neck , immediately relieving him of pain. A pink scar was now forming at Sora's neck, still visible where the siren had bit.

"What happened to you three?" Kailee bellowed.

"I don't know. I was just talking to you when I heard the most angelical singing in my life. After that, it was just a blurry haze up until I found myself here, bleeding to death," Sora rubbed his neckline.

"Us, too," Donald implied.

"Yeah. We had fallen asleep when we heard a scream. At first I thought, that it was coming from one of them frogs but Donald told me that it was coming from outside," Goofy explained. " Then the same thing happened to us."

"Too bad Donald's magic didn't fix Sora's wound," Kailee sighed, disappointed. "At least the sun's coming up."

Kailee nodded toward where the sky and land kissed. The sun was just peeking out, ravishing the sky in soft pinks and fluorescent oranges. A light breeze was sifting through the bayou where many creatures were now awakening. Far off could be heard, just barely, the honking of horns as the early birds were rising. The river's true colors were now revealing itself as the star shimmering water was converted to a darker color as the siren's blood was still spilling out. Tall, brown reeds were jutting out on the edge as Kailee realized that she had stomped on some on the way over.

"Come on guys. Let's get back and check on Riku," Sora said, standing up while being supported by Kailee.

"Wait. What do we do about her?" Kailee motioned her head over to the siren.

Donald walked over to the corpse. "Well, I think that all we have to do is purify the water with a spell. The body is already disintegrating."

"Good. Come on, guys. Let's get going," Kailee said, trekking through the muddy swamp. As soon as the assembly arrived at the campsite, one of the frogs had already awakened and was now working on a small riverboat.

"Tiana?" Goofy asked.

The frog immediately looked up and stood on its hind legs. "Donald? Goofy? Kailee? Sora? What are y'all doing here?" Tiana said, shocked.

"We came looking for you because it sounded like you were in trouble," Sora said, now standing by himself.

"Aw, thanks! I figured that someone else was here because of those houses over there," Tiana gestured with a stick directing at the two shelters.

"Nope. It was just us," Kailee reassured. "What happened to you?"

"It's a long story," Tiana sighed.

"Well, we better get comfy," Sora said, sitting down on a stool placed conveniently on the outside of a shelter.

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><p><strong>Super sorry that I didn't update sooner! But the explanation is, as always, computer lockdown. Anyways, please review! PM me if you have any questions!<strong>


	19. Hanging Chains

Hanging Chains

**Haha! How's it going bros? (If you watch PewdiePie then you'll know what I'm talking about ;) ) I hope it's been a bright and sunny day with blue skies and…. Never mind. I'm not all that good at being happy all the time. My mom thinks I have anger issues and because my dad passed down to me some of his worse traits. So in the end, you'll always see me serious, bored, scowling, or just plain mad. That's why I want to put in as much effort as to make Kailee nicer and less desperate and not so aggressive. Also, to try and incorporate everyone else in the story. Also, I'm putting you guys up for a challenge. I want to include one more character in the story. And it could be YOU. So, just fill this character sheet "form" at the bottom and PM me after. YOU DON'T HAVE TO DO THIS. It's just an option.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own. Square Enix and Disney do. I only own the unknown (as in characters that aren't originally involved in Kingdom Hearts).**

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><p>Kailee, Sora, Donald, and Goofy listened intently to Tiana's story. Just as Kailee had left to go back to the party, Tiana had been too upset to go back. She had been busy considering the fact that the two men that had inhabited the horse costume at the party, who were bankers, had broken to her the news that she wouldn't be able to pay for her restaurant. They had also initially insulted her emotionally because she wasn't of a good "background". Ever since she had been a little girl, she had dreamed of opening up a restaurant with her father. Regrettably, he had passed away a few years later. Ever since, Tiana had taken up every job offer in town, to try and raise enough money to pay for a restaurant.<p>

Now that her hopes had been dashed, she had nothing left to cling on to. Tiana then dragged her feet out to the balcony, to let out her sorrows there. She admitted to the gang that she secretly carried a picture of her future restaurant from her father in her pocket and had pulled it out on that night in the balcony. She was embarrassed when she told them that she wished on the Evening Star to help her out, when she came across a frog.

Tiana had thought that it was all a joke, so she decided to play along with the frog and asked if it wanted a kiss. She reeled back in surprise and shock when it actually responded to her. Her back had crashed in one of Charlotte's tall cabinets, knocking down a multitude of stuffed animals. The frog had repeatedly told her to calm down but she was throwing the stuffed animals at it, just so it wouldn't appear real. After a short while, the frog had revealed itself to be Prince Naveen of Maldonia. Tiana contemplated for a second and had wondered then about who was dancing with Charlotte on the dance floor.

Naveen told her that like the story, the Frog Prince, he would need to receive a kiss from a princess, who he thought was Tiana. He even lied about being fabulously wealthy and promising whatever she wanted if she actually kissed him. She, regrettably, agreed and kissed him. Tiana had then found herself wrapped in a pile of silk and soon enough, she was a frog.

"And that's what happened," Tiana sighed. "Now, I don't know where to turn to."

"That sounds awful," Kailee responded.

"Well, that's what happens when you don't confess your true identity earlier," Tiana tied the last strings of her miniature boat by the stream.

"Is there any way we can help?" Sora asked.

"Not unless Donald can perform voodoo spells," Tiana joked. "Speaking of which, I might as well wake up the lazy one named Naveen."

Tiana looked around her, to see if she had anything at her disposal. A small, hazel walnut was placed conveniently underneath a tree. She hobbled over and used both of her hands to pick it up; it was seemingly heavy for her. She got a neat grip on her right hand and chucked the walnut up into the tree hollow. A small yelp confirmed her success.

"Rise and shine, Sleeping Beauty!" Tiana hollered. "Gators are gone."

A dreary and sluggish frog jumped out of the tree hollow and grimaced at the now rising sun. He rubbed his eyes and stared at the giant figures that were Sora, Kailee, Donald and Goofy. "And who might you be?"

"They're just a couple of friends who happened to be able to understand us enough and are able to help us," Tiana explained.

"And who is this beauty?" Naveen motioned over to Kailee. "My name is Prince Naveen."

"Hi, Naveen. I'm Kailee. Pleased to make your acquaintance," Kailee curtsied.

"You wouldn't happen to know any voodoo spells, now would you?"

"Sorry, Naveen. I'm not that into dark magic."

"Oh. Well, I guess we'll have to keep up our quest then," Naveen said, disappointed. He plopped down on the small boat and plucked a small branch attached to a cobweb that looked like a guitar.

"You guys don't want us to help you along?" Sora said.

"No thank you. I think we can manage. Besides, shouldn't you be waking up your friend in there? He seems quite the sleeper," Tiana said, beginning to row out.

Kailee got up from the rock she had been sitting on and walked into the other shelter. Riku's condition hadn't gotten any better. His face was an ashen gray with a hint of lavender at the edges. Kailee tried to wake him up but all she got was an unsatisfactory groan coming from Riku. She even tried to look into his eyes but they were glazed over with a slight film of pus yellow.

**_We'll never be able to cure ourselves if we don't find that Shadow Crosser. So far, I just hope that we don't have to lose Riku. Forever._**

Kailee grabbed at Riku's shoulders and gave a strong shove. His body floated out neatly and landed beside Donald, who brought out his staff to inspect Riku. He closed his eyes and gave a small nod of disapproval.

"He's almost gone," Donald fretted.

"What do you mean?" Sora said, scared.

"His heart's barely keeping up. It'll be a miracle if he could make it by tomorrow," Donald lamented.

"Then let's get going! Look, we've been trying to find these Shadow Crossers forever! We should be able to find them by now," Kailee approached Tiana. "Do you know of any places in the bayou where strange things happen before Mardi Gras?"

"Well, there actually has been," Tiana pointed a green finger out into a dark part of the swampy forest. " Over there. But I heard it's a quite dangerous part not to be messed with. Are you sure you want to go there?"

"Yes. It's our only way out of this mess," Kailee replied. "Come on, Sora. Let's go on over there."

"What about us?" Goofy asked. "We want to come, too."

"Well, I'm really sorry, Donald and Goofy," Kailee answered, head down. " I just can't risk any more people to get infected. You're our only hope to stay alive and help us to keep ourselves sane. Besides, I'm sure Tiana could use the help with handling Naveen."

"Well, just be safe. Both of you," Donald warned.

"Don't worry. We won't get into any trouble at all," Sora promised.

And with that, Sora and Kailee set off into the darker places of the swampy forest.

It wasn't bad at first. The opening to the forest had been pretty smooth; just like the rest of the bayou had been for them. Then it started getting tougher. A few times they had come across a few alligator swamps and nearly got seen by them, too. The branches had begun to tangle themselves more often and the canopy had completely covered the sun. Only a few rays were able to penetrate the thick foliage. Even the moss underfoot became slippery and the pair found themselves slipping almost always. Sora had even almost slipped into a quicksand pit. Luckily, Kailee had been poking around with a stick, just in case if the ground was too slick, and had stopped Sora before he sank underneath the muddy trap.

The silence that hung between them was, at times, uncomfortable. Sora tried to keep a conversation but Kailee always cut them short with a short replies. He had been kind enough to say thanks for saving his butt a few times, but she just simply nodded and looked ahead. He didn't know what was exactly going on among them. Ever since that almost kiss, things had been very stiff between the pair. Sora had also been immensely confused by Kailee's mixed signals to him. He wasn't entirely sure what his feelings towards her were, exactly.

Most of the time, he felt them to be just friends. But other times, it was something more. When Kailee had had that nightmare and he had tried to comfort her, it had felt…right. He was certain that his emotions toward Kairi were nothing compared to the new ones he was now experiencing. Even with the many princesses he had encountered. He didn't even bat an eyelash for them. Mostly because they seemed too set on trying to save the world and looked to him like he was just a keyblade wielder, nothing more than that. Now, he got a warm feeling in the pit of his stomach and on his cheeks whenever his eyes made contact with Kailee's.

Kailee, too, was puzzled. She had always seen the couples at her school professing their love for each other and smiling like idiots. She thought love was something you looked forward to in the future, not so fast. When she had met Xylen, she thought that maybe it could be the start of something because she had been certain that he was the one. Of course, it was all a lie. And she pretty much blamed her hormones on that part as well. With Sora, it was more of a secret understanding. They both agreed to each other's plans and accepted each other's weaknesses. This made her feel stirrings in her heart. Again, she blamed hormones. But back when he had decided to help her cope with her nightmare, she was certain it wasn't hormones anymore. But, then again, she was 15. What could she know about love at such a young age?

Just as they had reached the end of the forest, a moving outline in the corner of Kailee's eye, caught her attention.

"Did you see that?" Kailee asked Sora, who was now sticking his foot out of a clump of moss.

"Is it a Shadow Crosser?" Sora called up his keyblade.

"I think so," Kailee said, calling up her own keyblade. She gave a whistle of content as she realized that her keyblade had transformed before her eyes. It was now made of solid gold, with crystal spikes running down the bottom and a half-sun on the end of the keyblade. The keychain was now holding a small frying pan, swinging in the humid breeze.

"Looks like the Kingdom of Corona really helped out," Sora showed a timid smile.

"Yeah. Come one let's go check it out," Kailee began to take silent steps toward the mysterious noise on her far right. Sora followed suit.

Avoiding any quicksand or traitorous branches, they reached their destination. A small curtain of hanging leaves blocked their path. Each with a separate hand, Sora and Kailee opened it up. A most welcoming sight greeted them. A small meadow had been placed right behind the curtain where it contained a circle of fresh, green grass, a blue sky, and a shining sun. In the center, was a figure grazing on the grass. It seemed like a phantom at first. But once they really focused their eyes on it, it turned out to be a deer. The deer was a fluorescent light blue, coating it's entire body as it grazed. As it was walking, a stream of blue wisps trailed behind it and clung to its body when it stopped. Just as Sora and Kailee had opened the curtain, the deer had perked its ears up and stared at them with white on blue eyes. The good Shadow Crosser symbol was barely noticeable because it had been placed right behind the deer's left ear.

Kailee and Sora were frozen in awe, too shocked to move. The deer just cocked its head to the side and began to approach them. Just as they were about to react, the Shadow Crosser spoke.

I see you have found me, most fortunate keyblade wielders. I shall introduce myself. The deer bowed its head. I am a Silver Star. A most rare Shadow Crosser. I only appear for such important events such as Mardi Gras. What brings you two here? Shouldn't you both be searching for the keyhole.

"Hello Silver Star. Pleased to make your acquaintance," Sora bowed.

"It really is a pleasure to meet you," Kailee reverted, curtsying. " But we really need your help."

I see. What is it that you want? And, before you ask, I do not grant wishes. Just because I am named Silver Star, does not mean I can grant wishes.

"We don't really want wishes. It's more urgent and life threatening," Kailee explained. "You see, Silver Star, we got severely injured by a Warnless and we now must find a rare Shadow Crosser, such as yourself, to heal us before we die or become puppets of darkness."

And how would this contribute me?

"Once you heal us, we'll seal all keyholes in all worlds and you would be able to return to your normal state as whatever you were before," Sora said.

How shall I know that you are telling the truth and are not just trying to use me?

"I promise you that I am telling the truth. And when I make a promise, I never forget it. No matter what," Sora reassured Silver Star.

Hmm. You do seem to be telling the truth, since your heartbeat hasn't changed at all. Then, I shall heal you. But I will warn you that it includes a bit of a price.

"What's that?" Kailee wondered.

I must collect a portion of your soul.

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><p>Xylen watched as the two young keyblade wielders reached the hidden meadow. He wondered how they had actually survived the wounds for that long. But then again, Riku gladly didn't. Xylen was sure that by now Riku would be at the mercy of the darkness once more and raging damage and distress on his once old friends. And it all was thanks to Eliza. Xylen himself couldn't believe how difficult it was to extract Kailee's soul from her body and then have Master Xehanort's heart be placed into her body. Now she was working for them 247. Xylen just didn't know what to do with their souls, exactly.

It was only yesterday when he had gone to visit them again. They were in their own silent conversations, possibly drowning in their own memories. Master Xehanort had given Xylen clear instructions to keep the souls in the dungeons of the new world they inhabited. But all they did was just float there with no purpose. He just wished he didn't end up like them one day. Xylen sighed and stepped back into a portal as he summoned a few Warnless to descend upon the bayou.

He decided to go check on how Mickey was doing, considering that the last torture session hadn't worked. He was now carrying out even worse tortures than the ones that Master Xehanort had assigned to him. He had decided to burn Mickey's flesh all the way down to his bone and then wait until the skin re-healed itself just so he could start all over again. It wouldn't be long before he became their puppet.

As Xylen reached Mickey's torture chamber, he noticed footmarks on the now unhinged door. He quickly rushed inside just to be greeted by a punch in the face that sent him flying backwards. Just as he hit wall, a flame had caught his robe and was now burning it up. Xylen was quick to brush it off and clutch at his aching jaw. A figure, also dressed in a black robe, but with a zipper coming down the front, was now standing before him, Mickey's body slung over his shoulder.

"Who do you think you are?" Xylen declared, already summoning Shadow Crossers, Heartless, and Nobodies.

"Name's Lea. Got it memorized?"

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><p><strong>Sorry to leave you guys hanging like this but it's all I got. I appreciate any ideas you throw at me as long as they make sense. Also the character thing up there is a contest if you want in. I need a good full filled out application and a 5 paragraph excerpt of how you would include the character in my story. It HAS to make sense. And I will judge every little detail. If it's not good enough, then I have to move on to the next person. So, PM me your application if you want your character to be in. Again, it's NOT mandatory. Thanks for reading!<strong>

**Character Name:**

**Personality Traits:**

**Physical Appearance:**

**Hobbies:**

**What kind of powers she/he will have:**

**Background:**

**Weapon:**

**Favorites:**

**(Anything else you might want to add in case if I missed something here)**

**~5 paragraphs go here~**

**Warning: Can't be a character that I mentioned in the story AT ALL. So don't try using Larissa or Damon. I MEAN IT!**


	20. Voiceless Hearts

Voiceless Silk

**First off, I'm sorry for not writing for an entire week. Our Internet was cut and we couldn't go online from our computers. Plus, I can't submit stories from my phone and I don't have an iPhone. So, in any case I still got to write this chapter. So please enjoy!**

**Warning: Contains DDD spoilers.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters. They're the sole property of Square Enix and Disney. I only own the unknown and the plot.**

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><p>Kailee couldn't believe she was going through with this. She was positive that it wouldn't have been this strange. At least, she thought it wouldn't. All in all, she was wrong. As soon as Silver Star had told them that the thing they had to give up was a part of their soul, Kailee's mind had begun to reel with questions. Where they still going to be alive once Silver Star collected? Would Silver Star even take care of that precious part of their soul? Which part exactly would she take from them? If Kailee were killed, would she actually die? Or since Silver Star took part of her soul, would become partly invincible because part of her was safe somewhere else?<p>

Silver Star had assured Sora and her that the portion that it took would immediately return to them once they sealed the keyholes in all worlds infested by Shadow Crossers. Kailee had breathed a sigh of relief once Silver Star had told her. But, being Kailee, she asked if it were possible for them to die once they gave that portion of their souls or become invincible once they gave it to Silver Star. The Shadow Crosser just told them that their souls would be in safe and capable hands. After that stimulating conversation, Silver Star had escorted Kailee and Sora through a safer path back to their camp.

Just as soon as they arrived, turmoil was at their feet. Riku was now awake but he was not what they expected him to be like. Strange, purple snake-like things came out of his back and had wrapped around Donald, Goofy, Tiana, Naveen, and an alligator apparently. His eyes were now a disgusting brown with cracked red underneath. Two of the snake-like coils were supporting him while his arms and legs were strapped tightly to his body. A web of charcoal black smoke wisps was wrapped around him, pooling in a circle on the mossy floor. Riku had been casually trying to strangle the life out of his victims when they had arrived. Now he had turned his attention over to them. Especially, Kailee. A snake coil lashed out at Kailee, but she was quick to slice its head of with the sharp, crystalline ends of her keyblade. Sora had begun to slice away at the other coils that had wrapped themselves around Donald, Goofy, Tiana, Naveen, and the mysterious alligator.

Silver Star had remained standing silently, completely unnoticed by the possessed Riku. It had been nonchalantly watching the fight as if amused by seeing two people fighting to their death. Kailee and Sora had been fighting Riku for almost an hour, and their limbs were already screaming with pain. No to mention that their wounds were still yet to be healed and were oozing more blood as they fought. Soon enough, Silver Star decided to finally jump into it and stop the whole charade. It had emitted a white glow that instantly vaporized the snake coils and sent Riku tumbling to the ground, facedown. It then had trotted over and cut open its forehead with a sharp rock that had been conveniently placed by Riku. It then had directed Sora and Kailee to cut open Riku's forehead so it could do the blood bond already, since he was the one that needed the most help. As soon as their foreheads had been placed together, a slight tearing sound was heard in the minds of those who were conscious. Riku had emanated a moan as the tearing was heard. A fluorescent blue light had passed through Riku's body and had knitted together his calf wound. His body then slumped to the floor, asleep apparently. Sora and Kailee had managed to get a few scratches and soon to be bruises, but other than that, they came out unscathed. The rest of the group explained to them that they had met Louis, an alligator with dreams of playing jazz up on a stage in front of a crowd that adored him. After he had confessed he knew of someone, named Mama Odie, that could do voodoo, but in a good way, Riku had woken up and that was when all hell had broken loose. Kailee and Sora reminisced about their time finding Silver Star and what they had to do, and now, they had to keep their promises.

Sora had bravely volunteered to go first, gaining more points of bravery in Kailee's mind. Silver Star had told him that they were to exchange blood from cheek to cheek, since its forehead was still healing. Sora kindly agreed and slit both of their cheeks. The bond was clearly seen this time. Sora's pupils dilated and his heart was seen beating rapidly in his throat, visible to anyone who paid close attention there. Sora's face had also scrunched up in fear and agony. That same tearing sound was being heard, except much louder this time. Possibly due to the fact that Sora's soul was a bit more unaffected than Riku's had been. After the exchange, Sora had gone to sleep, curled up on his side. Kailee had sighed with pity and a bit of happiness as she had seen him fall asleep. Pity because of how tired he must've been of having to save so many worlds at once and never having enough time to rest or at least take a quick nap. Not even on the gummi ship could he do that because he was always chosen to drive the gummi ship so he could destroy the Heartless ships. She had felt happiness because of how cute he seemed asleep. Now, it was her turn.

"This won't hurt will it?" Kailee asked, pretty sure of the answer.

It will pass by quickly. Although, giving up part of your soul won't be so easy.

"Thanks for telling me," she murmured, turning to Donald and Goofy. "Will you guys be able to manage taking us to Mama Odie while we sleep?"

"I don't think it'll be that difficult," Donald said.

"Yeah. Donald here can just whip up one of them flying clouds for you three and have them follow us on the way," Goofy commented.

"You guys can always manage to cheer me up," Kailee smiled. "Did Riku hurt any of you at all?"

"He just gave us some bruises but I'm sure we'll be fine," Tiana answered. "Right Naveen?"

"Sure. But I don't know if bruises will look especially fine on a prince," Naveen huffed, looking away.

"Don't worry about him. He's a downer, that's all," Tiana reassured. "Now go on and get yourself healed before you end up like Riku!"

"Thanks Tiana, Donald, Goofy," Kailee said, turning towards Silver Star. "Time to get healed."

Kailee bent down to pick up sharp twig, lying by her feet. She gritted her teeth as she slit open her wrist. Silver Star had specifically told her that they were to do this bond, wrist by wrist. A few drops of blood plummeted down onto the mossy earth, turning it a disgusting brown.

_**Let's get this over with before I end up losing too much blood.**_

Kailee reluctantly cut Silver Star's wrist and watched in amazement at the color of blood that she had. She couldn't get a clear view of its blood when it had shared it with Riku and Sora and now she could see why. It was completely transparent; invisible. It didn't even seem as though Silver Star was bleeding; only that it had a slight opening on its wrist. Kailee took several deep breaths before approaching Silver Star. Just as Kailee was feeling the effect of the bond tearing at her soul, a horde of Warnless appeared out of nowhere in the sky above. They swatted at the trees, sending them flying into who-knows-where. Each of their heads was crying out, practically destroying Kailee's eardrums. One even managed to send Kailee flying back, crashing into a tree. She looked at her arm to see that her wound was completely healed, but she didn't fell any different at all. She knew that something didn't go right when she didn't hear the tearing of her soul.

Kailee summoned up her keyblade, too stubborn to complete her thoughts. She was set on one thing. To protect what was important to her. She made a mad dash towards Sora and Riku, trying to cover both of their bodies with hers. She clutched to both of them as all Warnless were releasing a poisonous, black fog to envelop them. Kailee managed to see that the Warnless weren't even paying attention to Tiana, Naveen, Donald, Goofy, or Louis who were trying to get their attention. Silver Star was unconscious on the floor, its blood turned red by the bond not being fulfilled. Kailee made one last desperate attempt of keeping Sora and Riku safe by calling up her keyblade and placing all of their hands on it. Just as a Warnless grabbed them all, she slipped into darkness, the last thing seen were a pair of yellow eyes.

* * *

><p>Eliza smiled to herself as the plan was accomplished. She had a feeling that Kailee would've been healing herself by the time that the Warnless would've captured her. Eliza just wished that they had captured her sooner, so the keybladers would have a Shadow Crossed Riku on the loose, a dead Sora, and Kailee being in the clutches of Xehanort. She was so glad that Xehanort had given her part of his heart so they could join forces against the light. Also that she would spend as much time with Xylen as possible. She was also ridiculously happy that they had taken out her outcast soul. She never really like herself that much.<p>

But, she was still a bit pissed off that she had to follow orders. Turned out that if she wanted to rule all worlds with Xylen, then she had to obey Xehanort for a while. She had laughed at the idea, but soon, reluctantly, accepted it since he had control over the things that were taking over the worlds. After that she could relax in any place she wanted to because she would own that world all to herself.

Eliza sighed. "That'll come soon. I just know it."

A black portal opened up behind her, Xylen stepping out. She turned her electric yellow eyes to him and grinned. "Well aren't you a sight for sore eyes. I was just making sure that the Warnless got everything."

"Not everything. We only need Kailee," Xylen answered.

"Apparently they're too stupid to know the difference," Eliza scoffed.

"What do you mean?"

"Kailee called up her key thing and wrapped her's, Sora's, and Riku's hands around it. Since the Warnless didn't know what to make of that, they decided to take all three instead," Eliza explained. "Looks like we have to make room in the torture chamber along with Mickey."

"I don't think that'll happen."

Eliza turned, an eyebrow raised. "Don't try joking with me now, Xylen. What? Mickey can't handle a few more people with him in there?"

"It's because he's not there anymore," Xylen stepped back.

"You let him go?" Eliza yelled angrily.

"Of course not! Some guy named Lea took him from me! I don't even know where he is because he completely escaped my radar!" Xylen yelled back.

"You're telling me that you didn't fight back for the other thing that we needed to completely take over the worlds?"

"I did fight back!" Xylen sighed, frustrated. "I was caught off guard. Turned out that he had these weird circle knife things that he would keep throwing at me. And then, he even summoned a keyblade! A KEY-BLADE! How ironic is that?"

"We'll that just means we have one more to fight. God, why did taking over worlds have to be so complicated? I wish Master Xehanort had just told us to keep out of the way while he and Terra did all of the work," Eliza scoffed.

"You know he can't do that. He's busy making up alliances and capturing princesses. Besides, Terra has his own keyblade wielders to destroy. We just have to make sure that we have the one key to making our plans a success," Xylen opened up a portal again. "After you."

"I just hope the Warnless don't end up eating the three key-geeks. We might need Riku and Sora to do our bidding if they cave in the end," Eliza said, stepping into the portal.

"I'll make sure of it," Xylen followed suit, disappearing.

* * *

><p>"Sora! Riku! Kailee!" Donald hollered up into the sky.<p>

Donald, Goofy, Tiana, Naveen, and Louis had been untouched by the Warnless and were trying to save the trio to no avail. Donald had tried to utilize his magic, Goofy his shield, but it seemed as though the black fog was neutralizing his magic and sending Goofy's shield backwards. They turned to throwing rocks and even Louis tried to scare them off if they entered the water. But the Warnless got away with Riku, Sora, and Kailee hanging from their claws. Some of the heads amounted to burning down a few cities ahead, barely missing the one Tiana inhabited.

"No!" Tiana shrieked, reaching up a green hand.

"It's hopeless. We have to look for Mama Odie now," Naveen said, grabbing Tiana's shoulders and turning her towards Louis. "Where to my fine, scaly friend?"

"Wait! Shouldn't we look for them at least?" Goofy suggested.

"How? They could be in another city by now," Tiana retorted. "Naveen's right. We have to look for Mama Odie. She's our only hope to becoming human. She could maybe even help us find Sora, Kailee, and Riku. Right, Louis?"

"Well, I don't know if she can do that but I'm sure we can ask her," Louis supposed. He dove into the swampy river and turned his head back. "Let's go before the sun sets."

Tiana and Naveen wasted no time before climbing onto Louis' back. Donald had conjured up a boat big enough for him and Goofy that could row itself. He had also made sure that the shelters had been disposed of by waving his staff wand. Goofy had cleared out some stubborn branches that were blocking their path with his shield, receiving a thank you from Louis and Tiana, granting them access to a more open bayou. Donald and Goofy made one last glance up towards the sky, their eyes filled with longing and hope.

"I hope we save them in time," Donald worried, sighing.

"Don't worry, Donald. We always find a way," Goofy said, softly patting Donald on his back.

The Warnless had been careful when they had captured their prey. They cheered silently to themselves at how easy it was to detain the keyblade wielders. Thanks to Xylen, he had updated the Warnless with a new feature of sleeping gas that could neutralize magic and weapons that could injure them easily. Xylen had also made it clear to them to bring all three of them alive until further notice. The Warnless had made sure that their claws wouldn't create as much damage to the fragile bodies as they picked them up. Since there were only three Warnless, they divided up the prey evenly. They then had decided to enjoy themselves a bit more by burning down a few cities on the way. A gray portal, the size of the sun, opened in the sky, awaiting the Warnless.

Passing through the portal, they flew through a dimension corridor, conveniently placed by Realm Chasers to grant easy passage for Shadow Crossers and themselves. The Warnless scooted off onto the corridor's edge, fear showing for the first time in their eyes. A couple of menacing Shadow Crossers mad dogged them on the way to other worlds. Warnless were sure to steer clear of the higher rank Shadow Crossers. Mostly because they would receive torture sessions or endure a brawl with that same Shadow Crosser which would end up with mortal wounds or dead. They finally arrived to their destination: The Dark Depths.

* * *

><p>Kailee woke groggily. She slowly opened her eyes to be greeted by a shining red light. She quickly shut them again and groaned.<p>

_**Why can't Jules just try, for once, not to shine her new flashlight in my face?**_

"Jules. Please turn off that flashlight. I'm trying to sleep here," Kailee grunted.

Kailee opened her eyes again to be met by that red light again. It took her a few seconds to realize that the light didn't resemble her younger sister's flashlight. It was more of an eerie, ruby red light; not the light cherry red she was used to. She tried getting up, only to go back down as an ear splitting headache reached her. She clutched at her head trying to grit through the pain. She slowly propped herself up and checked her surroundings. She was in a jail cell, apparently. Igneous rock jutted out from the walls and floor, Kailee lucky enough to be sitting on a smooth surface. The "light" she had been staring at was really a round ball of human flesh, lit up by something unfamiliar to Kailee but what seemed to look like a red light bulb. The bars to her cell were pulsing purple strands of intestines.

_**Where's Sora? Or Riku?**_

She checked to see if there were any shadows or a body that she hadn't seen only to come up empty. She got to her feet, cupped both of her hands over her mouth, and took a deep breath.

"Sora! Riku!" Kailee hollered repeatedly, her voice echoing throughout the seemingly empty corridor outside her cell. "Sora! Riku! Where are you?"

"Keep it down! You'll disturb the rest of the prisoners," a voice answered from the darkness.

"Who's there?" Kailee said, her keyblade appearing in her hand.

"That won't be necessary," the voice said. "I don't think you would want to put your friends' lives in danger."

"Where are Sora and Riku?" Kailee challenged.

"Are you sure you should be asking that?" Xylen answered, stepping out.

"Xylen," Kailee breathed. "Where the hell are Sora and Riku?"

"Shouldn't you be worrying about your family, instead?" Xylen confronted.

"Where are they?"

"Now that's classified. But don't worry, we have them in a comfy place," Xylen took a few steps forward. "So how's life been for you?"

"How do you think life's been for me with all this crap going on?" Kailee seethed. "It's been nothing but a living hell ever since I met you. Now tell me where my family, Sora and Riku are before I rip your heart out."

"Ouch. That hurt. You shouldn't be so rough to the only person that can help you right now," Xylen said, a smirk on his face.

"I wouldn't want your help even if I was about to die and you had the last healing potion left," she retorted.

Xylen chuckled. "I'm sure you'll change your mind after tomorrow."

"What happens tomorrow?" Kailee asked but Xylen had already disappeared through the darkness.

* * *

><p>"<em>Hey! Wait up!"<em>

_Sora and Riku had been racing around the island all day after sparring. Sora was sure that he would've been able to beat Riku, but soon gave up once Riku had gained on him._

"_Too slow, Sora! See ya at the finish line!" Riku answered, running faster._

_They soon reached their destination; Riku winning of course. He gave a triumphant fist pump in the air as Sora reached him, doubling over, trying to catch his breath. Riku placed both hands on his hips, a semi-disappointed look on his face. _

"_One more time! You just got lucky!" Sora pleaded after regaining his breath. His friend's eyes flitted towards the wooden bridge that connected the solitary island with paopu fruit to the main one. Sora looked up as well. A young woman, probably 17 or 18, was walking across the bridge; she was gazing at them, too. She was sporting short, blue hair accompanied by same blue eyes. She was currently sporting a black and blue, high-collared halter top, two pink, intersecting belts over her chest, and black shorts. On her arms were bell-sleeves with tan, fingerless gloves on her hands and a small, segmented piece of armor on each of her upper arms. Black stockings reached halfway up her thighs and two strips of blue cloth that drape over either side of her hips, along with a smaller, white strip of cloth tied around her waist, draped in the same manner. Finally, she wore pointed, armored, silver boots with a sharp "hook" on the outer side of each. _

_She stopped right above them, admiring the innocence of the two boys. She surprised them, Sora mostly, by jumping down and landing without at scratch at their feet. She stayed on one knee so she could be level with them both. Sora blushed and sctrached his head while emitting a nervous chuckle. She laughed as well, completely oblivious to his obvious embarassment. She spent some time looking over them as if comparing them to something else. She chuckled to herself which confused both Sora and Riku._

"_One of you might be special enough," she said, only confusing them more. "Hey, you two mind telling me your names?"_

"_I'm Sora!" Sora answered right away, lifting his hand up in the air._

"_And you?" she motioned over to Riku._

"_Riku," he responded shortly._

_Again she pondered for a bit, but it was only for a second before she asked another question. "Sora, do you like Riku?"  
><em>

"_Of course I like him, he's my best friend!" Sora replied, as if it was obvious._

"_Good," she said. "So then, if something happens, and Riku is about to get lost…or say, he starts wandering down a dark path alone…you make sure to stay with him and keep him safe. That's your job, Sora and I'm counting on you to do it, okay?"_

_The boys just exchanged befuddled glances before looking back to her. She thenk placed both of her hands on Riku and Sora's heads, ruffling up their hair. The two boys giggled, not bothered by it at all. Her eyes betrayed her ever present smile, showing a hint of sorrow as to what would become of the two boys' fates._

* * *

><p>Lea had been restlessly pacing around the castle's library. After waking up in that lab in Radiant Garden, he knew that he had been betrayed. Xehanort had been quite the trickster once he made the other ones confess about how they all managed to end up in the same lab. Now, he was out for revenge. He usually wasn't like this, but he didn't care. As long as he would make other people's lives better without him around, it didn't matter. Once Lea had checked his surroundings, he had met a man named Leon. Leon then explained to him all that happened with the Heartless, Nobodies, King Mickey, keyblades, and Sora in the following hours. Lea swore to help out whatever the cost after, considering the fact that he had discovered a few convenient aspects of himself, like the fact that he could teleport wherever he wanted. Leon then told him that Yen Sid had sent out a distress call asking for anyone if they had seen King Mickey because he had been kidnapped under mysterious circumstances and was impossible to find since his body was now hidden, even with the most powerful magic.<p>

Lea had found him almost instantly. He had accidentally stumbled across the exact place where King Mickey was only that he was at the entrance of the prison. He had passed a few prison cells with no luck. The only thing he found were a few skeletons and rotting pieces of meat that almost made him hurl. He shook off the feeling and kept going. Just around a corner, he came across a pair of menacing guards, almost dressed exactly like he was only in a much darker manner. Lea had put up a good fight and burned them to the ground, not receiving a single yelp from either of them. He was met by a gruesome sight when he opened the door. There was King Mickey in the most horrible position Lea had ever seen.

Mickey was tied down to a table, completely unconscious. The skin from his arms and legs had been burned off by some liquid acid, leaving only a few scattered veins and bone. The left half of his face was infested with pulsing black coils that just passed his nose. His ears were nailed to the table, oozing a sort of gold liquid. Lea had never seen such a sight. The worst thing he had ever seen was a scraped up knee. Dealing with stuff like this was going to be a normal thing now, he guessed. He carefully removed the nails, and any other part of Mickey that was nailed down, and slung the body over his shoulder. The sound of footsteps reached his ears and summoned his twin Chakrams. Just as the figure reached the door, Lea flung his Chakrams at the intruder and the new found keyblade he had discovered in Radiant Garden. The intruder instantly collapsed, clutching at its fresh injuries.

"Who do you think you are?" the stranger said calling up Heartless, Nobodies, and Shadow Crossers, Lea believed.

"Name's Lea. Got it memorized?" Lea responded, disappearing through a portal. He was glad for his ability or else he would've never gotten out of there alive without leaving King Mickey behind. He somehow had ended up in Disney Castle, probably due to the fact that it was Mickey's home and where Yen Sid was currently visiting. Lea was greeted by Yen Sid and Queen Minnie instantly as he stepped through the gates of the castle. Queen Minnie burst into tears as she saw the state that her husband was in. Yen Sid just had a tight grimace on his face as he took Mickey's body from Lea and calmly walked towards the infirmary. A flourescent pink hare, with eyes the color of the sun, followed behind him, pink smoke tendrils trailing behind.

After that whole commotion, Lea had been led to the castle's library by Queen Minnie to see if maybe some reading would help the whole situation calm down. She left him there with a few broom servants and went to go check on her husband in the infirmary. Now, here he was, pacing the time away instead of reading. He never really was up for reading. It bored him easily and he never really understood the story because they would always start off boring. He just hoped that King Mickey would be safe that way he could accompany him on freeing the worlds of darkness and misery.

Queen Minnie reentered the library a half an hour later. She had a smile plastered on her face as she approached Lea.

"So? Is he okay?" Lea asked concerned still.

"Thank goodness, of course!" Queen Minnie reassured. "We just finished the blood bond and he's feeling better already. The only thing left is for his skin to regrow back together."

"What do you mean blood bond?" Lea questioned.

"Well, you saw that pink hare that followed Yen Sid to the infirmary?" Lea nodded. "Well, turned out that Yen Sid needed a pure, rare Shadow Crosser to heal Mickey of his wound caused by the darker, evil Shadow Crossers. Once that was done, Yen Sid gave him a healing potion and his skin is now restoring itself."

Lea breathed a sigh of relief. "At least he's safe now. Do you know any whereabouts of Xehanort and what he may be plotting?"

"Unfortunately, no. There hasn't been any news since Mickey last ventured out with Sora a week ago," Minnie apologized. "But I'm sure that we will find out more about his evil deeds soon. There's always something."

"Not to be rude, but can King Mickey talk at all? I need to ask him a few things," Lea asked politely, a hand behind his head.

"I think so. He was talking a bit to me and then I went to go fetch you so would know the news of Mickey," Minnie answered. "Come. I'll take you to the infirmary."

"Thank you, Queen Minnie."

Queen Minnie began walking towards the library doors. "No, Lea. Thank you for saving Mickey. Without you, we would be hopeless."

With that, the Queen and Chakram/Keyblade wielder exited the library and ventured off to the infirmary.

* * *

><p><strong>Wow! That's the longest chapter I've ever written. In any case, I'm sure you guys can find out what the Aqua, Riku, and Sora scene was all about. Just a small heads up on what's coming up in the future. If you can't figure out then I'll still explain in later chapters. I still need a few ideas from others. It would help a bit. I think I should also refresh my memory. So, right after finals, I'll play the heck out of Kingdom Hearts 1 and 2. I'll probably even watch some DDD while I'm at it. Besides, it's been a while since I've played. But for now I'm going to dedicate my time to studying all day tomorrow or today. Sorry it's almost midnight where I am so…yeah. Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and I would like you guys to voice your opinions. I don't care if they're too harsh, I just want some insight on what to do. I just hope I don't run out of ideas soon. D: Review and rate please!<strong>


	21. Festering Power

Festering Power

**Hey everyone! So lately, I know I shouldn't be too hasty about this, but can you guys share this story with everyone, please? I need more motivation to keep writing my stories. Please don't think I'm desperate, it's just that why should I keep writing a story if only a few people are going to read it? Just saying. Anyways, I think I will be updating more because I FINALLY got out of school and have some free time on my hands. So be ready for more updates soon enough. In any case, enjoy and review!**

**Disclaimer: I don't any characters mentioned in the story. Square Enix and Disney do. I only own the unknown.**

* * *

><p>Riku was the first to wake. He stared at his surroundings, taking them in. Then, he noticed Sora's unconscious body laying a few feet away, facing up. He clutched at his head, trying to remember what had happened the past few days. He knew that that Eliza girl, who was Kailee's sister, was on the loose, trying to put down her younger sibling. She had told him thatthey were soon to be completely consumed by the darkness and that time was running short for him. Then, she had sunk a sort of needle into his infested calf, filling it with more Shadow Crosser poison. He had felt his heart rate slow and then stumbled across to Kailee and Sora at the party. But then what? All he could recall was a foggy, blackness that had enveloped them and then a deep internal pain had ebbed from him but it wasn't from his actual body that he felt.<p>

_**Then how did I end up here?**_

"Oh the eternal question for the wandering hero," a female voice came to his ears as he stood up.

"Who's there?" Riku asked.

"I can't believe that the poison hadn't of worked faster," the voice sighed. "That's what I get for messing with keyblade wielders."

"What are you talking about?" Riku's hand itched for his keyblade.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Eliza stepped out from being hidden in the shadows. "After all, you want to save Sora and Kailee, right?"

"What's going on?" Riku demanded, growing impatient.

"Tsk, tsk. Well, mustn't I explain everything now?" She crossed her arms and began walking towards her left. "You see, we need all three of you. Especially, Kailee. You're all necessary to Xehanort's plan."

"Who's that? And what plan?"

"Someone you don't need to know about yet and it's none of your business!" she yelled, throwing both of her hands back. "Why do all keybladers have to be so stubborn and stupid?"

"You better watch your mouth before I—"

"Before you what? Show me a few fire tricks? Trust me, Riku. I've already seen all of your moves before. I know you like the back of my hand," she grinned. "Now, I'd be nice to me. I would want a quick and painless death, after all."

"Death?" Riku's breath caught in his throat.

"Yep. Now you see this?" Eliza held up a bag of, what looked to be, blood mixed with organs. "This is what happened to the last keybearer. Xylen and I decided to rip him up into little pieces because he was being a bad prisoner. If I were you, then I would be nice and ask to be beheaded."

"Why are you doing this?"

"Now that's private," Eliza finished, stepping back in the shadows.

Riku's body pumped with fear and adrenaline. He turned back with his keyblade to see if there was any keyhole available so he could unlock it, but came up with nothing. Some other trick by those people. Why would they be so cruel as to do stuff like that? He'd seen some really horrible things done by Organization XIII and even experienced darkness himself. But that was nothing compared to the atrocities that this new group was committing. So many lives lost. And then, how they must treat the ones that wield the Keyblade. Who knows what would happen to him or Sora. Maybe even to Kailee. So far, things had gone downhill ever since they had met her. He didn't fully regret it but now, things were getting too out of hand for even King Mickey or Yen Sid to handle.

**_Maybe that's why King Mickey told me that she would be our salvation. I hope that she can save us now that we're stuck in this._**

* * *

><p>Sora was still completely unconscious. It seemed as though that soul tearing had a very negative effect on him. He kept experiencing these strange yet familiar memories that floated in between his dreams. Most of them were his memories. The time he spent at the islands, those two years that he spent out adventuring with Donald and Goofy in search of the king, Riku and Kairi. Also, the new ones where he had spent time with Kailee visiting the worlds that had been infiltrated by Shadow Crossers. But then, other, strange memories of people he had never even met before were beginning to emerge. In each dream, he was being called by a different name. And he even responded to that particular name.<p>

But who were these people? One of his memories suddenly appeared before him. It was back when he was about 5, hanging out with Riku on the main island, staring at the stars.

"_Hey. I'm gonna head back," Riku stated, after getting up._

_Sora mirrored his actions. "Yeah. Me too."_

_They both stood up and began walking in the direction of the village. It had been a pretty normal day for them. Well, save for the part where they met that strange, blue-haired lady earlier that day. But, other than that, it was just a day of fun and games for the pair of young boys. Now, it was time to rest and began the same routine for the next day. Just as Riku glanced over, a tear escaped from Sora's eye._

"_Sora, what's wrong?" Riku's face etched with worry and concern._

"_Huh?" Sora responded, confused._

"_You're…." Riku pointed at the brunette's face._

_Sora reached up to feel a tear sliding down his cheek. "That's weird. It's like something's squeezing me inside."_

"_Somebody up there must be sad," Riku replied._

"_Up where?"_

_Riku looked up towards the sky. "They say every world is connected by one great big sky. So maybe there's somebody up there in all those worlds who's really hurting and they're waiting for you to help them."_

"_Well gee, do you think there's something I could do?" Sora asked._

_Riku crossed his arms and closed his eyes, deep in thought. "Hmm…Maybe they just need you to open your heart and listen."_

_Sora brought his arms up to the back of his head. "Hmm… I dunno Riku, you say some weird stuff sometimes, but I'll try it."_

"_Okay."_

_Sora then fisted his hands and brought them to his chest. Then, he closed his eyes and opened up his heart to the worlds._

* * *

><p>Kailee was getting more frustrated and fearful by the minute. The moment that Xylen had stopped talking to her, he had chosen to reveal the many other prison cells that were around her. They were all aligned in a neat circle, around a bright fire. She had tried to look for Sora, Riku, or her family amongst the jail cells but came up with nothing since there was a multitude of prisoners. She had to escape somehow. But the only reasonable way to escape was by death, or worse, teaming up with Xylen. No. She couldn't let that happen. She would rather die than embrace the darkness.<p>

She had tried to manage her time in her pitiful jail cell by coming up with escape plans. Kailee had come up with at least 8 foolproof plans just in case if she ever got a chance to at least get out of her cell. Now, she had to wait. Recently, though, she had begun to dream of strange people who she did not recognize. A girl who had the opposite of her features was a frequent visitor. She had been to many worlds, according to Kailee's dreams and was now on the brink of some sort of discovery. But, before Kailee ever saw that revelation, she would just wake up. She never truly found out who that stranger was.

After several days of staying in the cell, surviving on nothing but a bit of water and bread, Xylen came to get her. She had asked to where they were going but he just gave a violent tug to her arm, pulling her forward. Kailee tried to fight as much as she could, trying to break free of his grasp. Somehow, something or someone came up from behind her and hit her on the back of the neck just so she would stop struggling. Xylen had to carry her to the lab where he was met up by Xehanort and Eliza. They chained her up and brought in Riku and Sora, too. They made the pair sit in uncomfortable chairs, their legs and hands tied to it with chains of darkness and flesh eating worms if they ever dared to struggle. Sora tried to threaten them but the only thing he got was a head turning slap from Eliza. Kailee slowly came to afterwards.

"Have a nice nap?" Eliza asked, a smug smile on her face.

"You bitch!" Kailee screamed. "How could you do this?"

"Simple. It just took some willpower and some forgetting," Eliza explained.

"Don't interrogate the prisoner further. We already have enough information," Xehanort said, silencing Eliza. "Xylen have you readied the machine?"

"Yes, Master Xehanort," Xylen pulled out an odd looking type of machine.

"Master? Oh so you're working for someone? I thought Xylen was a leader, not a follower," Kailee challenged, trying to break free of her chains. "What's that for anyway? You're going to show us how to play with fire?"

"Enough!" Xehanort yelled, his temper coming short. "We shall begin the ritual immediately. Free the prisoner."

_**Now's my chance.**_

Eliza strode over to unlatch Kailee. "Don't try anything funny. You don't want to see your friends die, now do you?"

_**That's not going to happen today.**_

Just as soon as Eliza had set Kailee's left hand free, Kailee landed a sidekick to Eliza's stomach. Eliza was sent back, clearly winded. She summoned her keyblade and aimed it at the roof. "Stopra!"

Time stood still. Well, at least for Xehanort, Xylen, and Eliza it had. They were each stuck in one position: Xehanort trying to get his keyblade, Xylen running at her, and Eliza rising from the floor clutching at her stomach and giving a death glare at Kailee. Riku and Sora were, thankfully, still moving but with a consequence. Once Kailee had escaped and frozen the enemies, both boys had felt the jolt of adrenaline coursing through their veins. But, so had the flesh-eating worms. They instantly were set on to gnaw away at their flesh, leaving nothing but bone behind. Now, they were both remaining still, but their faces were etched with pain. Kailee ripped through the worms as if they were bands of licorice. The worms hadn't gotten too far in chewing the flesh but they had gotten deep into the skin because both boys were showing red, bloody flesh.

"We have to get out of here before the spell wears off," Kailee made a grab for both of the guys' hands, making a run for the door. Kailee had no idea where she was going but she knew that she had to protect both Riku and Sora. She passed through a bunch of hallways and prison cells, managing to check if any of her family members were there. With no luck, she kept sprinting towards what seemed to be the exit due to large double doors standing in their way. She heaved at them but decided to use her keyblade and both Sora's and Riku's strength to open it. A green portal that looked over the world of New Orleans greeted them. Before Kailee jumped through, Sora pulled her back.

"What about your family?" he questioned. "Wee have to save them, too!"

"I know but…" Kailee trailed off. "I'll come back for them. Make sure of it. Besides, they can't do anything to them if I don't approve. You saw that they needed me so I can make them free my family before they can use me."

"Are you sure about that?" Sora asked.

Riku pulled them out of their conversation. "Umm guys. I think we better jump now!" A horde of dark, sinister Shadow Crossers, mixed with Heartless, Nobodies and other creatures, were scampering over to the trio. They each nodded to each other and bounded into the portal.

* * *

><p>"Hi Minnie and Lea!" Mickey greeted them as they entered the infirmary. "Did Xylen hurt you at all Lea?"<p>

"Not even a scratch. But I think it should really be you who we need to worry about, King Mickey," Lea slouched on the wall.

"Gosh, you two. I'm all right! Just a scar on my cheek, that's all," Mickey reasoned.

"But didn't you have those black, spider veins crawling on your face?" Lea asked.

"I did but Master Yen Sid found a way to heal me completely," Mickey gestured to a pure white dog that was resting on the floor. "Yen Sid said that I needed a sort of rare Shadow Crosser to heal my wound. He sent the three good fairies to search for one and they finally found one in Radiant Garden. This one's called a Scavenger. We had to do this blood bond for it to work and after that, the poor fella went to sleep."

"Did it hurt?" Minnie said, concerned.

"Well, it did a little bit. But then I fell asleep, too. Now I feel great!" Mickey stretched his arms above his head.

"But you still need your rest, Mickey," Yen Sid answered; finally being noticed that he too was in the infirmary with them. "We have many things to prepare for."

"Like what?" Lea inquired.

"Sora and Riku must know about Master Xehanort by now. The situation has gone far enough. It is urgent that they are aware of his presence," Yen Sid clarified.

"But how are we supposed to notify them if we don't even know where they are?" Mickey said.

"Actually, the three good fairies did not only look for the Shadow Crosser but also for Sora and Riku. They were last seen in a world called New Orleans."

"But what about Kailee?' Queen Minnie put in. "Shouldn't she get to know as well?"

"Yes. But she already has enough power to partially defeat him. It is Sora and Riku that need to exactly know who he is," Yen Sid shook his head. "Although, Kailee has a choice of whether crossing over to the darkness or to embrace the light. She has to make that choice. Yet, you're right, Queen Minnie. Master Xehanort will try and take her in with him, at all costs."

"What about me? Don't I get a part in this?" Lea pushed himself off the wall. "I did save King Mickey, in the first place."

"You do have a part in all this. You will accompany Mickey to go see Sora, Riku, and Kailee," Yen Sid turned to Mickey. "You shall explain what occurred a decade ago so they will understand."

"Yes Master Yen Sid," Mickey replied. "When are we leaving?"

"Soon. You still must rest," Yen Sid walked to the door. "I shall be back with the necessary equipment that you both need to travel. In the meantime, Mickey, why don't you explain what happened ten years ago to Lea here? I'm sure you'll both be entertained for a while."

"I'll leave you both to it. The castle needs renovating," Minnie placed her hand over Mickey's. "Hope you get better soon." With that, she left, too.

"So what is this big thing that happened with Xehanort, ten years ago?" Lea sat down at the foot of Mickey's bed.

Mickey sighed. "Well, it all started with three people. Terra, Aqua, and Ventus…"

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><p><strong>Sorry the chapter had to be so short but I just am running dry! I REALLY want to put in Dream Drop Distance in here but then, what'll become of the Shadow Crossers in the real worlds? Who will protect them if all three of our heroes are asleep? Anyways, please pass this story down to other people. I know, I know. I sound desperate but it'll help me with my stories! And if you guys really want me to put in play Dream Drop Distance, shall I go according to the plot or make it an entirely different story? And by which chapter shall I put it in? Review please! Really means a lot! :)<strong>


	22. Hush Souls

Hush Souls

**Hi everyone! Well here it is! Chapter 22! The title is meant to sound like sort of a whisper chant. But, I'll try and put in as much effort into this chapter to try and make it perfect. Maybe there will be some romance, FINALLY. I think I should take a break from all the guts and gore and start to focus on couples now. Enjoy! :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters. Only the unknown. The rest are property of Square Enix and Disney.**

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><p>Donald and Goofy were beyond worried. It was already Mardi Gras and Sora, Riku, and Kailee still hadn't returned to New Orleans. Donald had immediately looked through the convenient spell book that he carried around with him, just in case if he would ever need it. He had also shrunk it to travel-size so he wouldn't be seen carrying around a giant spell book on his arm. He had scoured through every single page, looking twice through portal spells, but he came up with nothing. It either needed a sample of DNA from the victim or from the captor.<p>

Now, they were left to wait. Donald had almost gone to the brink of tears but Goofy had managed to cheer him up and drag him out of it. Tiana, Naveen, and Louis had been in their own self-depression. They had made it to Mama Odie but not before encountering some unfriendly shadows that Mama Odie quickly disposed of. She had promised to show them how to turn back into humans even if she wasn't the best in seeing correctly. Turned out that Naveen had to kiss a _real _princess if he wanted to turn back into a human being. It would turn Tiana back, too. The only known princess in New Orleans was expediently Charlotte because her father had been crowned king of the Mardi Gras parade. They just had to arrive in time to Mardi Gras and have Naveen kiss her before midnight or they would remain frogs, forever. Donald and Goofy had asked if she would know anything about the whereabouts of Kailee, Sora, and Riku but she just informed them that, in time, they would come.

Since then, they had hitched a ride on a ferryboat on its way to Mardi Gras. Louis had ventured off with a jazz band who had mistaken him for a guy dressed in an alligator costume. He was too giddy and joyful to actually take note of the rest of them. Tiana and Naveen had gone up top, leaving Donald and Goofy on a bench, facing the city. Donald and Goofy had lamented over King Mickey and, of course, the three keyblade wielders. Goofy kept pointing out buildings and cars; things that were not very familiar to them since they hadn't been introduced to them yet in Disney Castle. He took note of suggesting them later on to King Mickey. It seemed strange that Donald was the one that was missing them the most. After all, he had admitted that Sora was a nuisance the first time they had met. But then, once they actually trusted each other and became friends, it seemed to affect him more.

After sailing for an hour, they had finally arrived to Mardi Gras. Tiana had gone looking for Naveen since he mysteriously disappeared after they had spent the time talking about her restaurant. Donald and Goofy had received some weird glances by some bystanders but then were brushed off, as if they were part of the Mardi Gras display. Now, they were mixed into the crowd, right in front of the street where the anticipated parade was about to begin.

"I hope they'll be here soon," Donald said, worried.

"Aw, don't worry Donald. I'm sure that Riku, Sora and Kailee have already escaped and are headed our way now," Goofy said, reassuring Donald.

"Are you sure we should listen to Mama Odie?"

"Well, she's been around for a very long time. So I think she has known what to do for a while now."

"I hope you're right Goofy," Donald turned his attention back towards the parade.

* * *

><p>Just as the pair finished their short conversation, elsewhere, as in the graveyard, a black hole was emerging from one of the larger gravestones. It became bigger with time. Just as it covered the entire grave, it spit out three bodies onto the concrete floor. It then closed dramatically, leaving behind a horde of enraged Shadow Crossers, Heartless, Nobodies and other forms of darkness behind. Coincidentally, Kailee was the first to stand. She swayed a bit but then recovered after realizing where she was.<p>

**_We actually landed in New Orleans? I thought it was a trap made from Xylen. Guess I have to trust my instincts less._**

She had received a few minor scratches and bruises when the portal ever so rudely deposited her onto the concrete floor. She drew her attention back to the boys. A few groans escaped their mouths as they tried to get up. Kailee realized why they couldn't and called up her keyblade. She carefully placed Sora's left hand and Riku's right onto the handle of the keyblade. She mustered up some of her magic and cast the healing spell. In an instant, the bloody flesh on Riku's and Sora's hands and legs were turning into pink, perfectly straight scars. Kailee looped her arms through both of them and hoisted them up.

"Are you guys okay?" she asked, concerned.

"I think we can manage," Riku brushed himself off.

"Besides, you cast that healing spell on us. So, I think we should be fine for now," Sora replied cheerfully.

"All right, then," Kailee crossed her arms over her chest. "I still don't understand what they wanted me for."

"Maybe they wanted to use your power for darkness instead of light," Riku stated.

"Or they were going to torture you for the whereabouts of Donald, Goofy or King Mickey?" Sora implied.

"I think both of you are right," Kailee agreed. "Xylen was going to do something with me, that's for sure. But then, he would need for others to keep their mouths shut so they wouldn't go talking about what happened with me. It must've been why they tied you guys down with flesh eating worms so they could torture you to death."

Sora shivered. "It would've been awful if you hadn't been so quick on your feet, Kailee."

"Thanks. It wasn't really all my doing. You, Donald, Goofy, and Riku all taught me different spells. I'm glad that you guys did," Kailee smiled. "Now, where are we?"

Riku panned over the sight before him. "It looks like we're in a graveyard. I can hear music and it doesn't seem so far away."

"It must be Mardi Gras!" Kailee ran up ahead, stopping to look back at both boys. "Come on, you guys! We can't miss it! Donald, Goofy, Tiana, Naveen and Louis might be there!"

Sora and Riku just exchanged glances before following Kailee through the maze of graves towards Mardi Gras. It took them a total of 20 minutes to reach the parade. Thankfully, it was just beginning and the first two floats were already coming out with people throwing out beaded necklaces on them. Kailee nearly tripped over a few hidden necklaces because of the crowd that had bunched up near the entrance of the graveyard. Sora and Riku had to drag Kailee to the front because they were the ones who were most able to swiftly pass through the people while apologizing correctly. Somehow, they made it to the front without anybody complaining. All they had to do now was look for Donald and Goofy.

At first, it was pretty difficult. Since the trio was half-starved and thirsty, concentrating was a bit hard considering the fact that the lights shone too brightly and the noise was unbearable. But, after asking around, they finally came across Donald and Goofy who were across the street from them. Sora called out to them first, which put wide grins on both of their faces. Sora, Riku and Kailee ran to them, barely avoiding the parade float that almost ran the over. Donald and Goofy gave them giant hugs and cries of joy and excitement. They told them of meeting Mama Odie and what had happened before. Turned out that Donald shouldn't have doubted her because, in the end, she was right.

"How did you get here?" Goofy asked. "Weren't you guys captured by those Shadow Crossers?"

"Yes. Well, it's kind of a long story," Sora informed them. "But we were put in this prison where they were going to torture us to death and use Kailee to their advantage. But, in the end, Kailee managed to save us."

"But how did you get here? They must've had Heartless, Nobodies, or Shadow Crossers lurking around," Donald put in.

"That's the thing. They didn't," Riku answered. " We had luck on our side and got through to the exit. There, we found a portal that conveniently brought us back here to New Orleans. The only part where they came in was right when we were about to jump through."

"Wow that sounded scary. But me and Donald are glad you're okay," Goofy said, cheerfully.

"And we're glad that you guys got here unharmed," Kailee looked around. "Where are Tiana, Naveen and Louis?"

"Tiana went to go look for Naveen because he somehow made it to Mardi Gras before we did," Goofy said. "Louis joined a band that was going to play here because they mistook him for a guy dressed up in an alligator costume."

"Well, good for them, I think," Kailee clutched at her stomach. "Is there any real food or water that we could eat or drink right now? Because I think that I'm not the only one that's starving and thirsty."

Goofy, because he was really tall, spotted out a concession stand that was selling at large due to the over excessive crowd begging for something in their bellies whilst enjoying the parade. Donald secretly cast a money making spell in which money practically spit out from his staff. The group grabbed what they could and headed on over to the concession stand. After about 9 hot dogs and 3 water bottles. Sora, Riku and Kailee felt satisfactory as they finally felt full in what seemed like a week. Even though they were full, they decided to climb up to the roof of an apartment to watch the parade. Donald and Goofy sat beside Riku while Sora sat right next to Kailee. The view was amazing. Not only were there many multicolored parade floats glimmering in the night, many dancers were also rousing the crowd by infecting them with dancing fever. Questionably, a giant wedding cake float was making its way past them with Charlotte on top with a handsome stranger.

**_I wonder if it's Naveen. It could also mean that Tiana would be human as well. But shouldn't she be there with them? After all, Donald and Goofy had told me that Tiana had a sort of thing for Naveen now. So why is he getting married to Charlotte? And why so soon?_**

Kailee brushed these questions off, seemingly aware that she was supposed to enjoy herself now that she didn't have to worry about dark creatures, Xylen or Eliza for now. Only then, did she notice how close she was actually sitting to Sora. He had been so generous and sweet to her even in the most dangerous of situations. He also had had a deep concern for the well being of her family since she had completely and disrespectfully ignored them when she was escaping from that prison. She felt strange warmth in the pit of her stomach whenever he was around. He seemed to always be in a good mood, which was the complete opposite of her. She had always been a pretty serious person around people. Even when she had her friends with her they would always shy away from her if she were trying to stare them down.

She dared to look over at Sora. His face was gentle, no more worry lines were on his forehead nor were his eyebrows knit together in anger or thought. He looked to be enjoying the parade but at the same time his mind was elsewhere due to his eyes' expression. His crystal blue sapphire eyes were clouded over with what seemed to be melancholy even though he was smiling. He felt someone's eyes on him and turned towards Kailee who quickly looked away, blushing and peering down.

"What's wrong?" Sora asked, scooting closer to her, their hands almost touching.

Kailee shook her head. "Shouldn't I be asking you that?"

"Why?"

"Well, it's just that I could see in your eyes that you looked kind of sad," Kailee implied.

"Oh, I was just thinking."

Kailee crossed her legs. "I hope you don't mind my asking but about what?"

Sora closed his eyes, drifting in between his thoughts and reality. "Just about my island. I never really get any downtime anymore ever since I was pronounced a keyblade wielder."

"I'm sorry."

"It wasn't your fault, Kailee. I guess it was always meant to be like this for me," Sora sighed.

"But it always looks like you're having a lot of fun with Donald and Goofy. More so since Riku came to fight with you guys."

"Yeah but I guess what I'm trying to say is that I never get to be a normal guy. It's finding keyholes or destroying Heartless, Nobodies and Shadow Crossers," Sora groaned.

"Well, I don't think you're the only one, Sora. We all have the same fate of you," Kailee giggled. "Well, you're lucky. You at least have a home to get back to."

Sora reached for Kailee's hand, looking deeply into her eyes. "Yeah but we'll get your home back, too. I'll make sure of it."

Kailee nodded her understanding and quickly drew her attention back to the parade before anything became a bit too awkward. Sora still hadn't let go of her hand and she was somehow fine with that. A comfortable silence followed after. The parade went on for a couple more hours before the last float went by, which conveniently contained Louis who was playing his trumpet, and the first shower of fireworks were being fired into the sky. Brilliant blues, dazzling purples, and fierce oranges were thrown up into the air. A lot of "oohs" and "ahhs" were heard from down below in the crowd. After the last of them had been fired, the multitudes began to disperse back into their homes. Sora, Riku, Donald and Goofy set off to look for Tiana, Naveen and Louis since they hadn't been completely there for the entire Mardi Gras.

They finally found Tiana, Naveen, and Charlotte by the church. Charlotte was in a pink wedding gown and she looked pretty distressed and disappointed as though her groom had dumped her. Tiana and Naveen were on the floor, holding hands, still as frogs.

"Hi ya'll! Did you enjoy Mardi Gras?" Tiana asked them, taking her "hands" out of Naveen's.

"We sure did!" Sora responded, gleefully. "The fireworks were amazing!"

"I'm glad you liked it. We're sorry for not being there. We had some things we had to take care of," Tiana said.

"But I saw Naveen at Mardi Gras about to get married to Charlotte. Was that really him or…" Kailee questioned, confused.

"No it wasn't me. It was an imposter. It was actually my butler, Lawrence, bent on taking revenge over me because of all the years that I spent pushing him around," Naveen explained.

"Oh. Well then why are you still frogs?" Sora said.

"I didn't kiss him before midnight and it turned out bad. Don't worry they explained everything to me," Charlotte answered. "I can't believe that I actually believed Lawrence to be Prince Naveen and almost marry him! Yuck!"

"But we're sticking together because we really do love each other," Tiana gazed lovingly at Naveen. "And even if it means being frogs forever, we'll still be loyal to each other."

**_Aw. Now that's true love._**

"Well looks like you won't be needing us after all," Riku stated.

"Don't be so harsh on yourselves. You can come and visit us anytime you want. We'll be living in the bayou, of course," Tiana implied. "It would really make me happy if you visited."

"Don't worry, Tiana. This isn't goodbye! I promise you that we'll see other again!" Sora said, grinning from war to ear while placing his hands behind his head.

"Thank you. Thank you all, so much. If it wasn't for you guys then I probably wouldn't have had so much fun," Tiana said. " Be back soon."

"We will be. See you later!" Kailee said, waving as she walked back.

"See you!" Everyone else said in unison. With a few last waves, Sora, Donald, Goofy, Riku, and Kailee headed off towards Tiana's future restaurant.

"Aren't we supposed to lock the keyhole first before we leave?" Riku asked.

"Oh, right!" Kailee responded. "Where do you think it'd be?"

"Over there!" Sora exclaimed, already running to where he was pointing.

It was an old trolley. One that looked to have been abandoned for years. Conveniently, placed on the side, was an ad for a silversmith with a keyhole on it. Once the three keyblade wielders arrived, their keyblades automatically flashed into their hands. Doing some sort of complicated moves that Kailee only had heard about, Riku and Sora connected their keys to the keyhole, which emanated a rainbow crystalline light. They looked back at Kailee as if to say that it wasn't complete without her. She hesitated and then sullenly walked forward, a bit embarrassed to not have done any sort of fancy moves. In any case, her keyblade made contact and emanated a sort of clash between a dark purple and a sunny yellow. The keyhole flared up with a bright golden light and then they heard as if something had been locked.

Sora pumped his fist in the air. "Two down!"

"Who knows how many there are left?" Riku sighed. "Come on. Let's get to the gummi ship before Xylen, Eliza, and that other man come and get us."

"Wait fellas!"

Mickey popped out of nowhere as he approached the surprised group. "I have to talk to you guys at once!"

"King Mickey!" The group said in unison.

"And me," said Lea, rounding a corner.

"Axel?" Sora asked, confused. "But I thought you had faded into darkness?"

"Axel? I think you've mistaken me for my nobody. I'm Lea," Lea introduced. "Got it memorized?"

"Alright, Lea. I'm Sora and this is Donald, Goofy, Riku, and Kailee," Sora answered.

"I know who you all are. King Mickey explained on the way," Lea informed them. "I think he has a lot of explaining to do for you guys."

"Is this true, King Mickey?" Riku asked.

"Yep, but I think we should board the gummi ship first. I don't trust that we're not alone," King Mickey almost whispered. The group nodded and they all went to the gummi ship where a lot of things would finally be cleared up.

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><p><strong>So, how's my story going? I encourage reviews and constructive criticism. Pass the story on and all that other crap that I forgot to mention. Anywho, what shall I write next? ;) Sorry this chapter was so short. I tried to make it as PERFECT as possible, so don't judge me!<strong>


	23. Taking Chances

Taking Chances

**So, mildly long author's note. Somehow, when I write these things, I usual am really tired or just coming back from school, scouring the internet for more ideas and inspiration to write more. What's strange is that, when I think of stories, I always come up with a great beginning and ending but I can never come up with the middle part. That's why I just completely ditch the story. I wrote at least 4 stories before ditching them and then regretting it. A few people did like my stories but I was too insecure to keep writing because I got writer's block or the website wouldn't allow me back in to write more of my story. So, I really want you guys to just keep reading. I could use the help because I want to write a book one day. And I want it to be a success. But, in any case, review! And one more question, should I make a first person point of view chapter? It would go in depth more if you guys want it to be like that. But, enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: All characters are property of Square Enix and Disney. Except for the ones I made up. :)**

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><p>"Where are we going exactly?" Kailee shifted in her chair.<p>

"Well, according to this map, we should be heading to a world called The Golden Palace," Mickey answered, checking the monitors while steering the wheel.

"The Golden Palace?" Sora asked, confused.

"Aha. I heard that a really selfish emperor is ruling there and that he hardly notices the real problems of the village and the villagers which are being overrun by Shadow Crossers," Mickey shook his head. " I just hope that he's not with the Shadow Crossers."

"Don't worry, your Majesty. I'm sure we can set him straight if he is," Riku chuckled. "Now, about this stuff that needs to be explained?"

"Oh, right. Lea, can you take the wheel?" Mickey asked the redhead, sitting in a corner.

The redhead solemnly nodded and slipped into the driver's seat. "I hope you know where to start. Might I suggest after what happened with…you know…"

Mickey nodded. "Well, you all saw that third man, named Xehanort, back when you were imprisoned?" Sora, Riku, and Kailee bobbed their heads up and down. "He was the one that started the darkness."

"You mean like he actually created darkness?" Kailee inquired.

"No. Darkness and Heartless always has existed. He just joined it. He originally inhabited Destiny Islands." Here he received a collective gasp from his audience. "I know, it's a lot to take in. But, he also had dreams of leaving the islands and looking for something greater. He found a way somehow and began to train as a Keyblade Master. He also went from world to world, researching Keyblade legends, Heartless, the history of Light and Darkness, the Keyblade War and Kingdom Hearts. He thought that there was too much light in the world and that there needed to be more darkness to balance it out."

"And how did he think he would accomplish that?" Riku said, leaning back in his chair.

"By instigating another Keyblade War. He was sure that with another one, it would make the universe a more _ideal _place. The only way that would happen was if he opened the door to Kingdom Hearts. The only way to do that would be to forge the X-blade. But, as he grew older, he needed to use a new "vessel" or "body" so he could see his plans succeed. He eventually found one and inhabited it. But, he soon became too involved and began to literally transplant his heart into others. He then grew weak and disappeared."

"So how did he come back?" Kailee commented. "He obviously didn't disappear."

"Once Sora defeated the imposter, Ansem, and he and Riku defeated Xemnas, a few remnants of Xehanort's heart began to reattach and stitch itself back together. Now, he's getting stronger by the minute. By the looks of it, he's using Eliza and Xylen as last minute vessels just in case if anything goes wrong."

"So, you're saying that this guy destroyed our home?" Sora fumed.

"Yes," Mickey sighed. "That's why we need to get you three to get stronger. Now that Kailee's had more experience in fighting, she might be almost eligible enough to take the Mark of Mastery Exam alongside Sora and Riku. She just needs that last spark."

**_I doubt that I could ever amount to the superiority that is Sora and Riku. They've had 2 YEARS of fighting off Heartless and Nobodies. Plus, they've been to more worlds than I can count. I've only been to two, almost three, and only, at least, a week of fighting Heartless, Nobodies, and Shadow Crossers. There's no way I could be so close to be called an actual Master._**

"Are you sure, King Mickey?" Kailee doubted. "I don't think I am really ready to be a Master. I think that's more of Sora and Riku's destiny, not entirely mine, yet."

Before Mickey could reply, Lea interrupted them. "We're here!"

Lea had parked the gummi ship right over an enormous palace made out of entire gold. As they stepped out, their clothes dramatically changed, just like back in the world of New Orleans. Kailee was sporting a cherry red robe with long, open sleeves that trailed down to her wrists. Lining her neck and the bottom of her robe was a ring of orange that fully circled those particular areas. Sora was wearing a white poncho with equally white shorts that swayed with the warm breeze. Riku had on a soft purple poncho with black shorts. Donald and Goofy were bearing green and yellow ponchos with cerulean blue shorts. Mickey and Lea were the only ones unaffected by the world's order.

"Why didn't you two change?" Donald questioned.

"Lea and I actually have some things to take care of," Mickey responded.

"Where are you going?" Kailee asked.

"Let's just say that we shouldn't take too much time off of your guys' keyblade questing. We have some investigating to do," Lea explained.

"But we don't mind having King Mickey around? Right guys?" Sora turned to see the nodding of many heads.

"Aww. Thanks, fellas. But this is something I need to do. I have to make sure that we have as much help as we need to be able to fight off Xehanort," Mickey said, pulling out a miniature gummi ship and a keychain of himself. "Here, take this. It'll guarantee that I return if you are in danger or in need of anything."

Mickey set the miniature gummi ship a few feet away from the one they drove in, where it grew to be just as large as that one. "I hope to see you all, soon!"

Kailee rushed over and took Mickey in her arms, taking him by surprise. "Hope you'll be okay."

Mickey hugged her back. "Don't worry, Kailee. I'll be fine. We'll both be saving lives, in the end."

She quickly pulled back and wiped a few stray tears that escaped her eyes. "You better watch him, Lea. He tends to not be too careful when it comes to enemies."

" I wouldn't be so worried. The world that we're going to is pretty harmless. We're just stopping by to collect some things," Lea reassured her, stepping into the gummi ship.

"See you fellas, later!" Mickey waved at the group. He stepped in and quickly shut the door, making his way to the driver's seat.

"Where did you say we were going again, your Majesty?" Lea said, momentarily crossing his arms and scratching his forehead with his index finger.

"To the remains of Land of Departure," Mickey flicked a couple of switches, turning on the gummi ship.

"Oh right," Lea chuckled. "We have to pick up Ventus."

* * *

><p>"You fools! How could you have let them get away?" Xehanort hollered at the solemn pair. "I told you to not keep her conscious once she was brought down here!" Why was I cursed with such idiotic attendants?"<p>

"We're sorry, Master Xehanort."

"Apologies are useless, now. We must find their whereabouts before they accomplish anything, further. " He rubbed his temples. "I'll deal with you both later. Xylen, where have they gone to this time?"

Xylen checked a monitoring screen that had been tracking the keybearers' gummi ship over the last week. "They've just landed in The Golden Palace, Master. Seems like they're halfway done with the keyholes, unfortunately."

"Then we shall have to hit them with something far more potent and indestructible. The Warnless are too soft for this type of mission," Xehanort began pacing. "Have you located Aqua in The Realm of Darkness, Eliza?"

"No, Master. But I am getting closer to reaching her. I can sense it," Eliza muttered, never raising her head.

"Fine. Looks like I'll have to amount to others, now," Xehanort scowled.

A figure stepped out of the darkness. "You called, Master."

"Ah. Yes, Terra. I require your assistance for this mission," Xehanort smirked. " We have some unfinished business we need to resolve."

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><p><strong>Phew! I think this has been my shortest chapter out of all of them, to be honest. I've never actually been this lazy before. Must be the summer heat or the fact that I'm not so rushed that I haven't written anything. Plus, it seems to me that I'm making this story MUCH more complicated than it needs to be. I'll give you guys a warning now that a few chapters will be toned down and that I won't be able to respond for an entire week or two because I'll be on vacation. In any case, review! I REALLY do appreciate it! :)<strong>


	24. Kuzco's Rage

Kuzco's Rage

**Hey guys! Surprise! You guys didn't think I wouldn't update, huh? So, here's Chapter 24! Wow, 24 chapters already? To clear up some things, this is so NOT a parody. It's all a story that I decided to write because I have a really big imagination. And, yes, I will include Ventus in this story. Although, I think he'll be mostly asleep for a few chapters because Sora, Riku, and Kailee are busy doing some other stuff. But, Mickey will try a few tricks on Ventus' subconscious. Can't spoil too much though. But, enjoy! Reviews are appreciated! :)**

**P.S.- This is my last update for at least a week. Sorry that I'll leave you guys hanging for a while. But, I promise that the next one will probably be longer than this!**

**Disclaimer: Don't own the characters mentioned in the story. Only the plot and the characters that were never included in Kingdom Hearts.**

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><p>"I hope we get down unseen," Kailee commented. After saying their goodbyes to Mickey, they were left with the bearing challenge of descending the palace. Whole rows of guards were stationed in front of them, thankfully, facing back. Since, again, the gummi ship was invisible to those that were inhabitants of that specific world, they hadn't moved a muscle. A few windows were right beneath them, but they looked too slippery, considering they were completely round. Their only hope was to jump and hopefully land on one of those hanging banners. Kailee first saw that a poor, elderly man had been rudely thrown out one of the windows but had landed all tangled up in a banner.<p>

"Are you sure we won't get hurt?" Goofy worried, glancing over the edge.

"Well, I can make us land perfectly with this spell," Donald pointed to a spell in his book. "It's a really easy one, too."

"So who's first?" Riku crossed his arms.

"I'll go first," Kailee strolled over to Donald. "We need a test subject."

"Wait Kailee!" Sora grabbed at her arm. " Remember what King Mickey said about how valuable your life is? We can't risk that. I'll go first."

"Come on, Sora. I can do this," Kailee stared into Sora's eyes. "Trust me."

Sora sighed. "Fine. But, I'm going with you."

Kailee groaned but nodded. "Alright. Ring us up Donald."

"Ok, you two. But you will both land in different places because you can rip the banner with a lot of weight on it," Donald informed them. Kailee and Sora nodded their agreement, ready to jump. Donald had them placed back to back, arms linked, right at the edge of the palace. He soon raised his staff and waved it around their bodies while uttering various words that made up the spell. After a minute or two, Donald instructed Sora and Kailee to jump off the ledge. Kailee was barely keeping the scream in her throat from jumping out, when she and Sora plunged towards the banners. They both felt their bodies separate from each other and reach for the nearest banner. Kailee hung on with her bare hands, afraid that she might slip. Sora merely just slid down the banner like a slide and landed upright onto the concrete bridge underneath.

Sora reached both hands to her. "Need a hand?" Kailee nodded, reluctantly.

She placed her hands in his and quickly jumped onto the bridge. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it," Sora smiled. "Alright, guys! It's safe!"

After hollering up onto the edge of the palace, Donald, Goofy, and Riku jumped down themselves. Donald somehow got stuck in between a banner and it took Goofy, Riku, and Sora to try and get him out without alerting the guards. The old man was still stuck in the banner, still scrambling and trembling after being rudely thrown out. The group was not very far from him. They only landed a few feet farther from him. Sora was about to go and help him, when a portly man went to aid the older fellow.

"Oh, hey! Are you all right?" The portly man said, bringing the older man down carefully. "Here. Let me uh…"

"Oh you're so very kind," the elderly man replied.

"What happened?"

"Well I…" the elderly man began. "I threw off the emperor's groove."

"What?" the portly man said, disbelief on his face.

"His groove, the rhythm in which he lives his life, his pattern of behavior. I threw it off and the emperor had me thrown out the window," the elderly man pantomimed, almost crying.

"Oh, really? I'm supposed to see him today," the portly man presented a paper.

The elderly man grabbed him roughly by the shoulders with amazing strength. " Don't throw off his groove!"

The portly man, shocked, brushed him off. "Oh, okay."

The elderly man began walking away. "Beware the groove…"

"Hey, are you going to be alright?"

"Groove…" the old man's face echoed off the palace.

"Seems like the emperor is a real jerk…" Kailee whispered to Sora.

The portly man turned around and was startled by the strange group. " Oh, hello. Are you here to see the emperor, too?"

"Yep! We, uh, need to speak him about his palace," Sora implied. " It reflects too much light on our houses and we're here to set him straight."

"I hope you can. I've heard rumors that he can be a real jerk, sometimes. But, then again, he's only 18. He'll learn, eventually," the portly man sighed. "Oh, I forgot my manners. I'm Pacha."

"Hi Pacha. I'm Sora and this is Donald, Goofy, Kailee, and Riku," Sora said, introducing them all. "Nice to meet you."

"The pleasure is all mine. Now, why don't we all go into the palace and speak to Emperor Kuzco, together?" Pacha commented.

"Let's do it!" Sora said, excitedly.

They all began to walk in the direction of the palace doors, momentarily stopping because the guards needed to open them. The guards were a bit skeptical at letting Donald, Goofy, Riku, Kailee, and Sora into the palace without a palace summons. Pacha informed them that they were with him and showed them his palace summons, receiving a granted entrance and some thank yous from the group following him. A few villagers were leaving the palace in tears and angry fits, which worried the others, more, including Pacha. Was Emperor Kuzco really as bad as the villagers in Pacha's village said that he was?

After briefly encountering a rather, boiling mad villager, Pacha advised a nearby guard that he, the village leader, was there. The guard nodded and entered the throne room directing them to wait outside. They heard some muttering and a shriek from what sounded like a woman only older, and then the opening of the palace doors. The guard motioned him in and Pacha peeked his head through the doors.

"Uh, afternoon, your highness," Pacha addressed him, while walking in, Sora, Kailee, Riku, Goofy and Donald following him inside. "I'm here because I received a summons…"

A young man, Kuzco, sat in a large, gold chair wearing a red robe with gold lining and a crown perched on his head. "Hey, there he is! My main village man!"

"Um, Pacha. Anyway, I-I got this summons…"

"Pacha. That's right," Kuzco said, sliding down a rope placed by his throne. "And who are these others?"

"Oh! These are just some of the village counsel members that join me for meetings," Pacha explained. "They're here to oversee what you wanted to talk about."

"But I clearly only asked for you," Kuzco stepped towards them. " And they really couldn't have picked better counsel members? Most of them look like they've never worked a day in their life. And what are those things that look like a duck and a dog?"

"Why I ought to…" Donald said advancing towards Kuzco, his fist raised. Goofy managed to hold him back but received a few struggles from the angered duck.

"Guards!" Kuzco called.

"Wait, your Majesty! He was just kidding around!" Pacha said, trying to wave off the guards. "He has mild sanity issues. He sees things a lot and gets angry pretty easily."

This caused another wave of anger from Donald and had him struggle more in Goofy's restraints. "Let me go! I know what I'm doing!"

"I think getting him out of here would be better for all of us. Guards, show this duck and dog outside, now!" Kuzco commanded. The guards scooped up both Donald and Goofy and led them out the door.

"Wait for us outside!" Kailee hollered to them. Goofy solemnly nodded while Donald was still throwing his fits. "They'll be ok, right?"

"I don't know. I usually just let the guards handle most of the people around here. And, in truth, I don't care," Kuzco said. Kailee's blood boiled at his careless response.

**_I guess he really is heartless. It must be because everything is given to him and so he thinks he should act like such a spoiled brat. It must be a miracle that he hasn't been turned into a Heartless._**

"Anyways, Pacha, you're just the man I wanted to see," Kuzco said, swinging his arm over Pacha's shoulder, leading him towards a room on the right of him. He gestured with his hand for Sora, Riku, and Kailee to follow. Sora and Riku had stayed quiet because they knew that if they had said even one word, they would've gotten thrown out and never gotten any clues as if there were any strange things going on in the palace. It could explain the emperor's behavior towards them.

"I am?" Pacha questioned, confused.

"Word on the street is that you can fix my problem. You can fix my problem, can't you?"

"Sure. I'll do what I can."

"Good, good. That's just what I wanted to hear," Kuzco patted Pacha's shoulder. "Are you aware of just how important your village is to the empire?"

"Well, I know we grow the crops that you use here at the palace. We also herd the llamas that you…" Pacha trailed off as Kuzco unveiled a model sculpture of what looked to be someone's village.

"My village?" he asked.

"Oh, yeah," Kuzco folded his arms. "You got a pretty sweet little setup there on top of that hill, don't you?"

"Yeah. My family has lived on that hilltop for the last six generations," Pacha informed him.

"Uh-huh. So tell me…" Kuzco looked closely at the model. "Where do you find you get the most sun?"

"Oh, I-I'd say just on the other side of those trees," Pacha gently, yet forcefully, pushed Kuzco to his right. "When the sun hits that ridge just right, these hills sing."

"Well, that settles it," Kuzco implied, crouching by the model.

"Really?"

"Yep. Problem solved. Thanks for coming."

"That's it? That's all you wanted me for?" Pacha asked, stupefied.

"I just needed an insider's opinion before I okayed this spot for my pool," Kuzco answered nonchalantly.

"Pool?" The group said in unison.

Kuzco then brought out an elaborate model of a building that looked like a sort of summer type mansion, while replacing the very house on top of the model hill. "Boo-yah! Welcome to Kuzcotopia, my ultimate summer getaway, complete with water slide."

"What?" Pacha solicited.

"Isn't it great? It's my birthday gift to me!" Kuzco hugged the small mansion. "I'm so happy!"

"I don't understand how this could happen…" Pacha trailed off, heart-broken.

"Well, let me clear it up for you," Kuzco held. "At my birthday celebration tomorrow, I give the word and your town will be destroyed to make way for this. So, if I were you, I'd pick up some change-of-address forms on the way home."

"But-but, um, where will we live?" Pacha posed.

"Yeah! Where will Pach- I mean we live?" Kailee asked, angrily stepping forward. "You can't do this!"

"Hmm. Don't know, don't care."

Pacha started to step forward towards Kuzco. "Oh, but wait, you can't.." A pair of guards stopped him in the middle of his tirade.

"When I give the word..." Kuzco got closer to Pacha so that they were face to face. "Your little town thing will go bye-bye. Bye-bye!" Kuzco waved as the two guards began to drag Pacha away. Kailee also had begun to walk to Kuzco but had been brutally shoved back by some guards and was being dragged away. Sora and Riku were unfortunately carried out, too.

"Oh, w-wait, no…" Pacha yelled, trying to get free of the guards' grip.

After some yelling and struggling, the group was thrown out of the throne room viciously, and received some bruising and scratches. Somehow, Pacha came out unscathed, but Sora, Riku, and Kailee were the ones to receive the punishment. Further more, Kailee was outraged. How could Emperor Kuzco kick someone out of his or her own home and not provide a home after? Sora and Riku were sharing the same thought, too. It amazed Riku how Sora didn't even speak up, except for that one time when Kuzco had announced that he was going to replace Pacha's home with a pool for himself. Sora was actually having good reason on not speaking out. He had learned a couple times himself that if you speak out of turn in a world where you don't belong, then you're most likely not welcome to that particular place or rudely thrown out. Kuzco secretly angered him for being a selfish jerk. And he was quite sure that Kuzco wasn't even that older than Riku.

"Hey are you guys alright?" Pacha asked, worriedly as if the whole Kuzco situation didn't affect him.

"We're fine. Just a little scratched up, that's all," Sora answered, casually brushing himself off. "I'm sorry about your house Pacha."

"Me, too." Riku put in.

"Yeah. Well, the emperor has ordered to have it destroyed and you can't really argue with him, unless you want to die or get thrown out," Pacha sighed.

"I really wish there was something we could do," Kailee said, crossing her arms over chest. "Isn't there someone that can coax him into not doing it?"

"Word on the street is that he's looking for a bride and that the most eligible are already lining up but I doubt he'll choose one," Pacha commented. "He doesn't seem like the type of person to share power."

"True. But is there anyone else who can help?" Sora posed.

"Well, there is his royal advisor, Yzma. But she is much crueler and very hard to move. People have tried to bribe her and that always seems to work. But I don't even know where she is at this moment. She's almost never at the front of the palace, where she's supposed to attend to peoples' summons."

"Do you think we can force him to not do it?" Riku said.

"I highly dislike the idea of using violence in a situation like this. I'm sorry but I think it's too late to change his decision. Unless, you have a better birthday present, he'll never change his mind," Pacha began to walk down the stairs. "Come on. We should probably get your two friends back with us and then I'll show you how beautiful the hillside where I live really is."

_It's amazing how, even in a situation like this, Pacha would still be unmoved by it. He's probably hurting inside but with a much too high self-esteem to show it; kind of like Sora, sometimes._

Sora, Riku, and Kailee ambled their way towards Pacha as he descended the stairs, where the main palace square was located. Donald and Goofy had busied themselves in buying a few essentials like food, unnecessary clothing, and a wagon if their stay in this world was going to be longer than the last two. Kailee had barely noticed her hunger, when she began to dig into the food like a wild animal. Sora and Riku, being boys, had at least 3 helpings of whatever Donald and Goofy bought. They even were granted a table and some chairs so they could eat in peace. After about a half an hour of eating and graciously sharing with Pacha, they explained what happened to them at the palace with Kuzco. Every now and then, they would receive some angry quirks from Donald and disapproving looks from Goofy. In the end, Donald was very much fed up with Emperor Kuzco and was willing to inflict harm on him, even when Goofy tried to calm him down.

"Do you think we can do something Donald and Goofy?" Kailee inquired, leaning back in her chair.

"I don't think we can, Kailee. King Mickey told us that we couldn't mess entirely with other worlds," Donald informed her. "Pacha was right. We can't do much to change Kuzco's decisions."

Kailee sighed. " All right. We're here for one thing only right?" The group gave her some skeptical looks before she mouthed, "key-hole" to them. They nodded, understanding.

"So where to now, Pacha?" Sora solicited, already getting up from his chair.

"Well, I guess it's time to head on over to the hilltop," Pacha said, gathering up his wagon with his llama that had been waiting for him down here, at the palace square. "I can't wait for you guys to meet my wife Chica and my son and daughter, Tipo and Chaca. They're great!"

" Can't wait to meet them!" Kailee put in. "Shall we?"

Pacha then led them off in the direction of the village. He began to tell them stories of what had happened over the years for him and his family. He even told them that, one time, his llama got lost in the forest at night and that he had to wait until morning to go get it. It was pretty funny because of all the supposed mischief that the llama had gotten into. Pacha was all smiles as he walked and talked, still amazing Kailee. Of course, she was the only one paying attention. Sora, Riku, Donald and Goofy were bringing up the rear, checking to see if anything suspicious was going on. Kailee had worded her words carefully, when she asked Pacha if there had been any strange things happening so far in the village. He notified her that the only strange things that happened were in the forest or on the outskirts of the palace. Other than that, it was completely safe. Kailee wondered why, in many of the worlds she had come across, there were so little Heartless, Nobodies and Shadow Crossers. She just hoped they weren't rallying up to do something that would wipe out the entire world or worlds they were going to.

After about an hour of just straight through walking, Pacha had led them to a comfy looking scene that pointed towards his village. It was a collection of many different houses, all stacked up on the hill. The one on the very top was Pacha's, so he told. He hadn't been lying when he told them that his ancestors had been living on that hilltop for over six generations, overlooking the crops and llamas that were provided for the palace. That was what his village was known for, but it was all going to go to waste now since Emperor Kuzco decreed to have it destroyed. Pacha was careful not to bring that up, just so he wouldn't be so bummed out after.

"Well, here we are," Pacha said, stopping right at the entrance to his house. A pair of children, a boy and a girl, no older than 5 and 6, rushed up to him and practically jumped on him. They were clearly excited and happy that Pacha came back home. They kept talking over each other and the boy was mostly boasting about his growth spurt while the girl was trying to show off her irregular loose tooth. A woman, presumably Pacha's wife, was standing at the doorway, clearly pregnant. Pacha had mentioned that she was pregnant, only that she hadn't been, what looked to be, 9 months pregnant. Kailee was a bit jealous and homesick as she saw the scene unfold. It reminded her of the times when she was at home, enjoying her time with her family and sisters.

Kailee quickly composed herself and went to go introduce herself to Chica. "Hi! You must be Pacha's wife, Chica."

"And you must be Kailee," Chicha shook Kailee's hand. "Pacha's told me about your little ru in with each other at the palace."

Sora came up behind Kailee. "I'm Sora! And this is Riku, Donald and Goofy over there. Nice to meet you, Chica."

"Pacha told me about you too, Sora. Seems like you're the one that keeps things afloat, right?" Chica chuckled. Kailee laughed too when she saw that Sora was confused at what Chica had just said. "Anyways, you're all welcome to stay the night. I'm sure I can find room for you all in the attic."

"Thanks!" Sora and Kailee said in unison, bursting out laughing once they realized it.

Once they finished the introductions, Chica informed Tipo and Chaca that it was their bedtime and that they promised to only stay up until Pacha arrived. They reluctantly agreed and made their back into the house. Chica motioned that she needed to talk to Pacha and led him back into the house. Sora, Riku, Kailee, Donald and Goofy were left outside to wander around in the front yard. They all settled on sitting on the wooden bench placed right by a small fountain.

"Don you think we'll ever make it back?" Riku asked out of the blue.

"What do you mean?" Sora replied.

"As in, will we ever make it back home? To the islands? Or, if we do, then what about Kailee? Will she get her home back?" Riku posed.

"Of course we will! Right, Kailee?" Sora nudged Kailee.

"Well, I don't know," Kailee responded. "I mean, think about it, Sora. With all that's going on and with Xehanort out there, I don't think we have a very big chance of ever making it back to our worlds."

"But…" Sora tried to come up with a better response. "We have you though, Kailee. King Mickey said that you were the key to us surviving. So that means that we will make it back home."

"But have you ever stopped to think that it might mean that I could lose my life in the end?" Kailee posed.

"What makes you think that?" Sora said.

"Well, we never know if, for the sake of the worlds, I have to give up my life to save us all. That's something that I've been thinking about for a while."

"Kailee might be right, you know," Riku implied. " But, so might you, Sora. We actually can't see into the future, yet. We have to just live in the now."

"I'm going to go with Riku on this one," Sora said. "Besides Kailee, we will always be there for each other in the end."

"Yeah. Hopefully," Kailee sighed. After a few minutes of silence and gazing at the stars, a depressed Pacha came out of his house, head down. The gang tried to ask what was wrong, but he just responded by shaking his head.

**_He must've told his wife about Kuzco or not told her and he feels guilty about it. Either way, it must be killing him, having to lose his house after living in it for six generations._**

They all just sat there, awkwardly silent. A sudden noise brought them to their senses as their eyes gazed upon a brown, burlap sack hanging on Pacha's wagon. Pacha went and looked to see what was inside the bag. Just as he loosened the cords tying the bag together, a black, disoriented llama came out, swaying a bit.

"Where'd you come from, little guy?" Pacha asked the llama, holding it up by his hands.

"No touchy," it responded.

"Demon llama!"

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><p>"Where are we again?" Lea asked for the millionth time.<p>

"I told you, Lea. We're in what's left of the Land of Departure," Mickey responded.

A few hours of flying through dimensions, had taken its toll on Lea's patience. He was antsy all the time and a bit infuriated. He wouldn't let the whole Xehanort thing go yet. After all, he was the one that had turned Lea and his friend, Isa, into a Nobody after all. Now, all Lea wanted was some revenge, and King Mickey would supply some of it. Since then, Mickey had been bent on retrieving a boy named Ventus from the Land of Departure, a lonesome island now. He seemed to have a sort of connection with Sora and King Mickey wanted to have that figured out, immediately. King Mickey had told Lea all about Terra, Aqua and Ventus and how Master Xehanort had ruined their lives. Terra had become a vessel for Xehanort, Aqua had been lost in the darkness, and Ventus had lost his heart and was asleep, for what seemed to be forever. That was one thing King Mickey was sure that he could solve.

"Well, where is Ventus, your majesty?" Lea looked around in the gummi ship's window.

"There!" Mickey pointed a gloved finger towards a distant island. He docked the ship right on the edge of the island and placed a wooden plank that connected the ship to the island. Mickey jumped out, followed by Lea, who solemnly walked out. A giant castle greeted them, the double doors sealed firmly shut. Lea and Mickey called up their keyblades, opening the doors all the way. King Mickey ran ahead while Lea took his time to check his surroundings to see if they were safe. He soon followed Mickey, assuming there were no Heartless, Nobodies or Shadow Crossers because this was a lone island of a world.

Just as he entered, a splendid grandeur of a room welcomed him. It was purely white, making it look far bigger than it needed to be. All around were chains of hearts connected with spikes at the bottom. Lines of pulsating chains radiated around him and coursed throughout the bottom as well. The thing that captured Lea's eyes more was the figure seated in a throne, in the middle of it all. It looked exactly like Roxas had, or so Lea remembered. Only, this boy was asleep, his face down and silently breathing.

"So is this Ventus?" King Mickey nodded.

"What happened to his heart?" Lea asked once more.

"I don't know. That's what Yen Sid has been figuring out," Mickey began to take the unresponsive body. "Now, we have to take him back to the Mysterious Tower. We need him."

Lea helped Mickey carry Ventus out to the gummi ship. "Then what?"

"Then, we'll wake him up."

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><p><strong>Well, it's the last update I'll be doing for a week. Don't be afraid to review or PM me on any ideas that you guys might have for me. I don't know what other worlds to do but I've been thinking about doing a sort of illusion world that is kind of related to Dumbo in a way. As in, when Dumbo drank too much apple juice and then started seeing things. I got this idea from youtube. But anyways, hope to write more in a week! Don't lose hope! I will write more! :)<strong>


	25. Something Special

**Something Special**

**So, I'm back! After that one-week hiatus, I've been dying to write. I had to go almost FIVE days without the Internet. I know. I'm such a baby. But, in that time, I've been breached that my story doesn't exactly make sense or really follow any plotline. So, that gave me some time to actually think about my story. And, in truth, I can't believe I've written such a sloppy story. I'm not so experienced in writing such imaginative stories. I usually am used to writing research papers or essays. They almost always come out perfect. But, not this. It has been one of my life goals to be able to write a book one day, so I will accept ALL constructive criticism on this story. Whether it's on past chapters or present ones, they're much appreciated. I would also like to thank Some Random Tosser for opening my eyes and making me realizing my mistakes. I'll try and make the plot a bit understandable in this one. So, I've decided to put this one in Kailee's POV. I usually write better in first person rather than third. I'm just experimenting here, so I might be able to return to third person at any time. In any case, enjoy! Review! :)**

**P.S. I am basing the beginning of this chapter as kind of a redemption of DisneyLand, if you've ever been there. But, it's NOT DisneyLand. I should tell you all now that Kailee did not come from the real world. Just to clear things up later on.**

**Disclaimer: Square Enix and Disney are the rightful owners of the characters and worlds mentioned in the story. The ones that aren't normally from Kingdom Hearts and Disney are my property.**

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><p>Surprise! That's what I felt the moment that my parent's threw my very first surprise party when I turned thirteen. It was supposedly something really special that ran down in my family's generation; mostly my dad's. Don't get me wrong; we weren't religious about being thirteen. It's just that, whenever someone would turn thirteen, a certain magical being would come visit them at night on their birthday. I didn't believe it to be true. I just thought that it was something my parents made up, just like Santa Claus or the Tooth Fairy.<p>

We spent that day at an amusement park; one that my parents had completely rented out to celebrate. We rode some rides, had some cake, opened up some presents and I even got to star in the late night stage show while my family and friends watched. It was pretty magical. Only then, did a strange occurrence happen. Just as I was about to leave the park, I noticed that a strange boy was hanging around the ferris wheel, right by the entrance o the park. His features were unrecognizable, so he clearly was new here. Everyone that lived in our town knew everyone. So, if someone new happened to move here, the mayor would immediately introduce that family or person to the public.

However, this boy hadn't been ever made known to us. I don't even think anybody new came the last two weeks. My family and friends were already slipping out the exit and I just couldn't contain my curiosity. Checking to see if no one was noticing that the birthday girl was missing, I started my way towards the boy. In the dim lighting of the full moon, I could make out his face. He had the most pure, gray eyes that could penetrate your soul. His shaggy, blonde hair was almost white in the moonlight. The only thing that was disappointing was that he was wearing rags for clothing and his arms and legs were covered in dirt. His shoes were full of holes and hopelessly discolored. Something about him really unsettled me but, at the same time, he had an air of peace around him.

As I approached him, he started to back away. "Wait! I want to help you!"

He stopped in his tracks but stayed hidden in the shadow of a tree. "Who are you?"

He mouthed something to me, but I could barely even see his lips moving. "What?"

He retrieved something from his pocket and threw it at me. It shined bright, so much that I had to shield my eyes for a second. Just as my eyes adjusted, the boy was gone. I ran to the spot where I had last seen him but I didn't see where he had gone. No footprints had been left and I hadn't heard running when I had closed my eyes. I returned back and took up the thing that had been tossed at me. It was a small keychain. On it, was a pair of wholesome white wings that were bordered a turquoise blue. I admired it for a moment, when a sort of engraving was etched on the back.

_There is a crack in everything, that's how the light gets in._

"Kailee! Kaile- Oh there you are!" My mom said, grabbing my arm. "We were worried about you!"

"Oh, I just thought I saw someone out here," I said, coming out of my stupor. "I'm fine."

"Well, I'm just glad that nothing happened and- Oh! What's this?" She gestured towards the keychain.

"I just found this by the ferris wheel where I thought the boy was," I explained. "I'd never seen him before."

"Well, maybe he's new," my mom began dragging me to the exit.

"No, mom. That's the problem. He's not new. There hasn't been anyone new for two weeks," I said, trying to make her comprehend. "I've never seen him at school, either."

"Are you sure?" my mom asked.

"Yes. He was wearing rags for clothes and it looked like he actually lived here," I sighed. "Forget about it. Let's just go home."

"Alright then. Are you certain that he wasn't familiar?"

I shook my head. "Not one bit."

This memory came up out of the blue, when Pacha shouted that he had found a talking, demon llama.

"Demon llama!"

"Demon llama? Where?" the llama simultaneously looked around and cried out when it faced the llama behind him. It jumped right out of the burlap sack and began to make its way to the forest. I was left with the same surprised expression as back in my party. Sora was surprised too, only that he was more excited than shocked at seeing his first talking llama. Riku's evergreen eyes were practically popping right out of his head as he saw the talking llama bounce off. Donald and Goofy were nonchalant; it seemed as though they saw this kind of thing every day. I would've expected that. Many peculiar things happened in Disney Castle when I was allowed to wander in it.

The llama was now front flipping because he had lost his balance. I think he was trying to walk on his hind legs and tripped on his own two hooves. Now, he was somersaulting right into the fountain. I ran over to the soaked llama and Pacha, Riku, Sora, Donald and Goofy followed suit. They all hung back, except for Pacha, who was trying to make sense of this while squatting on his knees.

"Ow. Ow, my head," the llama groaned, upside down on the fountain ledge.

"Okay, demon llama. Just take it easy," Pacha said, getting closer to the llama. "I mean you no harm."

"What are you talking about…" the llama's face turned into recognition as he turned himself around. "Oh, wait, I know you. You're that whiny peasant. And those are your pesky council members."

"Emperor Kuzco?" Pacha asked, stupefied. Could that really be Emperor Kuzco? It was hard to recognize him the first time I saw him. He just looked like any old llama to me. Except that he could talk. But then, as I started analyzing him more, he started to become more familiar. The coal, black hair that covered his animal body, those cold, unforgiving, hate-filled eyes, and the red hair that blanketed him, like clothing, reminded me of Emperor Kuzco's robe. Now, it was definitely certain that this llama was Emperor Kuzco.

"Yeah. Who do you think you were talkin' to?" Kuzco said, in an obvious tone.

"Um, how did…" Pacha said, trying to make sense of this, it seemed. "You don't look like the emperor."

"What do you mean I don't look like the emperor?" Kuzco asked, disbelief on his face.

"You really don't look like him, at all," I turned to see that Sora had replied and taken a few steps forward.

"Look just, um, do this," Pacha wiggled the fingers on his right hand.

Kuzco raised his hoof, trying to copy Pacha's movements. "What is this, some kind of little game you country folk like to…" Kuzco's eyes widened as he took in his hoof clicking together. "It can't be! My face! My beautiful, beautiful face!" Kuzco began to cry as he whined about his revelation.

"Okay, okay, okay. Whoa, whoa, whoa," Pacha tried to calm down Kuzco.

"I'm an ugly, stinky llama!" Kuzco whined.

"Wait, okay, Your Majesty. Shh," Pacha said, trying to quit down Kuzco because he didn't want his wife or kids to hear. Sora and Riku had tried to not interrupt the crying Kuzco when they made their way over to me.

"How long do you think this will last?" Sora whispered to me.

"I don't know. But it looks like it'll last for a while," I said back to him.

"I wonder what really happened to him," Riku said. "I wonder if a Shadow Crosser was involved in this."

"Maybe. But, then again, all worlds have their own mysteries, right?" I responded. It wasn't like it was anything new. We had experienced a bit of voodoo back in New Orleans. I doubted that magic would be any differently used in other worlds.

"Llama face!" Kuzco yelped, bringing my attention back to him.

"What happened?" Pacha questioned.

"I'm trying to figure that out, okay?" Kuzco retorted, annoyed. "I can't remember. I can't remember anything. Wait a minute. I remember you," Kuzco began to spill out a rambling of words. "I remember telling you that I was building my pool where your house was and you got mad at me and so did your council elves," Kuzco brought up his hooves to his face as he realized something. "And you turned me into a llama!"

Pacha stood up, unbelieving in Kuzco's words. "What? No, I did not!"

Kuzco stood on all fours. "Yes, and then you kidnapped me."

"Why would I kidnap a llama?"

"I have no idea. You're the criminal mastermind, not me."

"What?"

"You're right. That's giving you too much credit," Kuzco pondered. He began to mumble by himself.

"What's gotten into him?" I asked Pacha.

"I don't know. All I know is that all that stuff he just said isn't true. We were all together at the same time. The only ones that actually were left out were Donald and Goofy. And I doubt they would do something like that," Pacha scratched his head.

"Well, we'll defend you throughout the whole way," Sora replied.

"Wait, Sora. Remember what K- I mean Mickey said?" Sora was confused by Riku's words. " About meddling?"

"Don't worry Riku. I don't think he'll be too meddlesome. I think he just meant by just lending a hand. Not his full support," I said.

"Yeah but I can't let go of that time when Sora told us about what King Triton told him back when he was first adventuring. I don't think he's changed at all," Riku whispered, worriedly.

"I'm sure he's learned his lesson. If not, then we can remind him now and then, I guess," I figured.

"Hey, you people!" Kuzco snapped back to reality and gestured to us. "No time to waste. Let's go."

"Where are we going?" I asked, pretty sure of his response.

"To the palace, of course. I plan to be changed back over there. Now let's go!" he spat back at me. "I want to get out of this body. Wouldn't you? Let's go!"

I briskly crossed my arms over my chest. "No."

"Fine. I don't need you, girl. The rest of you are coming with me and, maybe, your punishments won't be as rough as hers." Kuzco trotted towards the path that led to the forest.

Sora and Riku crossed their arms, too. "Nope."

"Us neither," Donald and Goofy answered.

"Alright, tiny. I guess it's just you and me," Kuzco clutched at the fence, trying to walk on his hind legs.

"Build your summerhouse somewhere else," Pacha responded.

"You wanna run that by me, again?" Kuzco turned back, disbelieving the words that had come out of Pacha's mouth.

"I can't let you go back unless you change your mind and build your summer home somewhere else," Pacha explained.

Kuzco approached him. "I got a little secret for you. Come here," Pacha went. "No closer."

Pacha placed his ear right by Kuzco's mouth. "I don't make deal with peasants!" Kuzco shouted, practically destroying Pacha's eardrum.

"Then I guess I can't take you back."

"Fine. I don't need you. I can find my own way back," Kuzco careered to the pathway leading to the forest.

"I wouldn't recommend it if you don't know the way," Pacha called back.

"Nice try, pal."

Pacha cupped his hands over his mouth. "No, really! I'm telling you there are jaguars and snakes and quicksand!"

"I'm not listening!" Kuzco sing-songed.

"I'm not kidding! You cannot go in there!"

Kuzco mildly tripped on his way into the forest. "Ow. Still not listening!"

"Aw, you…" Pacha took a deep breath. "Fine, fine. Go ahead. If there's no Kuzco, there's no Kuzcotopia. Takes care of my problem."

He did have a point. I mean, if there is no Kuzco then they wouldn't build Kuzcotopia and Pacha wouldn't have to go without his home along with all the villagers. It would be a marvelous outcome, especially since Chica is about 8 months pregnant. It wouldn't be so jarring as having to be born and raised in the streets. But, Kuzco doesn't necessarily have to die for that to happen. We could try and sway his decision so he can build it somewhere else. We can't be so cruel as to let him die. His soul matters too. Even if he is cruel and heartless, hating a person so as to wishing them to die is going a bit too far.

"Pacha," I began. "Are you sure you want to let Kuzco die? Does he really deserve it?"

Pacha sighed. "Well, if it wasn't for him, I wouldn't be having to look for a home when this has been my home since I was born! He deserves at least some justice."

"But death is too cruel. Even for him," Sora put in, going to stand by me. "Sure, he might deserve some justice but not something that'll probably make you feel guilty and end up killing you too in the end."

"Well…" Pacha was speechless then sighed. "I guess it wouldn't be so nice to leave him to die. I guess it would be a bit heartless."

"Then let's go find him," Riku said. " He shouldn't be too far."

A black form caught my eye. "Wait! Look!"

A group of Heartless was now blocking our path. They're eyes were glowing red instead of their normal yellow. A couple of Nobodies were forming a circle around us and were trying to close in. Forming in front of Pacha, was an Illusionist. If it hadn't been bad enough to have to fight one in the Kingdom of Corona and potentially have to relive a rather horrible memory, now I had to fight one all over again. A warm vibration was coming from somewhere in my robes. I checked, while keeping my eyes on the Heartless that were approaching, and came up with the angel wings keychain. On the back, the words had changed revealing a brand new quote.

Giving back involves a certain amount of giving up.

What did that mean? Did it mean that I didn't share enough of my own fighting power when it came to fighting these monsters? Or did it refer back to when I was thirteen and was very selfish when it came to sharing and I was pretty much damned for not doing it? In any case, the quote didn't fully make sense to me. The words were engraved in solid gold and faintly glowing. A moment later, a golden light engulfed the wings and it grew 10x its original size. The wings were now bigger than two of me standing on top of each other. They seemed to notice both Sora and Riku and went after them, completely swallowing them up in its feathers. A few muffled screams came from them as the wings kept them intact.

I tried to break the wings open, even with my keyblade, but it just bounced off them and threw me back into the swarm of Heartless. I fought them off easily with only a few bruises and scratches left on my arms and legs. Pacha had crossed over to me and was using me as a shield, which I didn't mind considering the fact that he didn't have any weapons. The Illusionist was now trying to open the wings with no avail. It peered over to me and was about to attack, when the wings opened. A white light shot out and covered the entire backyard, blinding Pacha and me. Donald and Goofy had been fighting off the Nobodies and had barely noticed Riku and Sora's predicament. They only just realized when the white light had shot out. They shuffled their way towards Pacha and me, and tried to shield the light with their staff and shield.

"What happened?" Donald said, blindly.

"Sora and Riku have been trapped inside those wings," I replied.

"Why?" Goofy asked.

"I don't know! It just happened!" I sighed, eyes closed. "It was my fault. I had this keychain in my pocket and I took it out and it had this message on it. It really confused me. But, the next thing I know, Sora and Riku have been sucked into those wings!"

"Have you tried to get them out?" Donald implied.

"Yes!" I responded. "But it was no use! Not even my keyblade worked!"

"Then maybe you could-Look!" Goofy pointed at the wings.

Just as I dared to un-shield my eyes, the white light had died down. The backyard was back to normal, with no Heartless, Nobodies or Shadow Crossers still roaming around. Sora and Riku were sprawled out on the ground, unconscious. Just as I was about to run to them, their keyblades appeared in their hands. They were not their normal keyblades, anymore. They had turned into keyblades like mine.

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><p>"What do you mean it won't enter?" Eliza asked, impatient and furious.<p>

Master Xehanort had set Xylen and Eliza straight on their ship that could transport them from world to world. It wasn't exactly like a gummi ship but much faster and less noticeable when traveling. But, they had landed in a bit of a fix. The path that the gummi ship had made was sealed off; only accessible by gummi ship. There weren't any more paths to go by so Xylen and Eliza were locked out of the Golden Palace.

"I mean that we can't go in through any other way," Xylen fumed.

"Well that's just great! Then how are we going to capture them, now?" Eliza questioned.

Xylen scratched his head fiercely. "I don't know! Damn it, Eliza! Stop pestering me!"

"I'll stop when you tell me how we're going to get there!"

Xylen breathed deeply, trying to compose himself. "The only way in is by gummi ship. So, we have to rely on the Shadow Crossers to not kill them."

"Aren't there portals in which Heartless and Nobodies travel through?"

"Yes, but this particular world is a bit challenging to get through to. Only 5 or 10 Heartless can enter at a time," Xylen responded.

"Great. What are we going to tell Master Xehanort?" Eliza said. "We can't just go back either.

"Well, there is somewhere else we can go," Xylen flicked a few switches and turned the ship around.

"Where is that?"

"Let's just say we'll visit a long lost friend of the Younger Master Xehanort."

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><p><strong>Finally! An update! I know that it was a bit boring but Kailee remembering things ties in with the whole concept of the story. I'll try the first person stuff with Riku and Sora but I'm not making any promises. Anyways, review! I appreciate everything! Especially constructive criticism! :)<strong>


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